Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”
Kansas City Symphony
Michael Stern, conductor
Jan Kraybill, organ
Noah Geller, violin; Mark Gibbs, cello
Composed at his artistic peak, Camille Saint-Saëns said of his Symphony No. 3 “I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again.”
Reference Recordings is proud to present conductor Michael Stern’s interpretation of this great symphony, now on LP in addition to the previously-released compact disc (RR-136HDCD). The Kansas City Symphony’s performance is brilliantly captured by GRAMMY® award winners Keith O. Johnson (engineer) and David Frost (producer). Organist Jan Kraybill plays with power and mastery. This recording on CD has received great critical acclaim, and now a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Engineered Album, Classical!
The Symphony has released four previous titles with Reference Recordings to great acclaim — Shakespeare’s Tempest, the GRAMMY®-winning Britten’s Orchestra, an Elgar/Vaughan Williams project and most recently,Miraculous Metamorphoses, which highlights composers Hindemith, Prokofiev and Bartók. Two additional projects have been recorded and slated for future release, including the orchestral music of contemporary American composer Adam Schoenberg (recorded in June 2014) and Gustav Holst: The Planets and Ballet Music from The Perfect Fool (recorded in January 2015).
Extra notes
First LP mastering of this work at 45 rpm!
Single 45 rpm LP, contains Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 “Organ” only (35 min 27 sec)
180 Gram pressing from QRP in Deluxe Gatefold Jacket
Half-Speed LP Mastering: Paul Stubblebine
Hybrid SACD Release!
5.1 Surround and Stereo SACD Stereo CD with HDCD
On This Recording
Reviews:
“When the tempo changes to presto, the piano’s arpeggios and scales are prominent enough to make their point without leaping out at you, just as the organ in the finale asserts its grandeur without overwhelming the orchestral palette…Even in a competitive market, this version has a distinct edge.” —Geoffrey Norris, Gramophone
“The experience is spectacular regardless of equipment. I’ve listened in a number of different ways already, and the overall effect is spine-tingling…I won’t spoil your listening with tiny details, but the closing pages are simply a joy…I am certainly making room on my shelf for this thrilling sonic and musical experience.” —Brian Wigman, ClassicalNet
“The KC Symphony, with superb direction from Michael Stern, sounds absolutely world-class. The orchestra has the full, rich, romantic sound that is so essential for 19th-century French music. And there is visceral excitement, too. The musicians are on fire, and they blaze with self-confidence…One gets the feeling that the Kansas City Symphony’s burgeoning discography will stand the test of time and that its CDs will take their place among the classics.” —Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star
“I’ve never heard such a well-rounded account of this impressive symphonic work…and the final movement blows everyone else out of the water… The only way to truly enjoy recordings like this one is to play them loud — the way a full orchestra and hefty pipe organ are meant to sound…Glorious music making reproduced with stupendous fidelity!” —Jean-Yves Duperron, ClassicalMusicSentinel
“…a disc for the most demanding audiophile and for the most discerning music lover, not that the two are mutually exclusive. … This, I believe, is the most astonishingly realistic and most stunningly awesome recording I’ve ever heard.” —Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Magazine
5 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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ADAM SCHOENBERG: AMERICAN SYMPHONY
“When the tempo changes to presto, the piano’s arpeggios and scales are prominent enough to make their point without leaping out at you, just as the organ in the finale asserts its grandeur without overwhelming the orchestral palette…Even in a competitive market, this version has a distinct edge.”
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The experience is spectacular regardless of equipment.
“The experience is spectacular regardless of equipment. I’ve listened in a number of different ways already, and the overall effect is spine-tingling…I won’t spoil your listening with tiny details, but the closing pages are simply a joy…I am certainly making room on my shelf for this thrilling sonic and musical experience.”
-
There is visceral excitement
“The KC Symphony, with superb direction from Michael Stern, sounds absolutely world-class. The orchestra has the full, rich, romantic sound that is so essential for 19th-century French music. And there is visceral excitement, too. The musicians are on fire, and they blaze with self-confidence…One gets the feeling that the Kansas City Symphony’s burgeoning discography will stand the test of time and that its CDs will take their place among the classics.”
-
I’ve never heard such a well-rounded account of this impressive symphonic work…
“I’ve never heard such a well-rounded account of this impressive symphonic work…and the final movement blows everyone else out of the water… The only way to truly enjoy recordings like this one is to play them loud — the way a full orchestra and hefty pipe organ are meant to sound…Glorious music making reproduced with stupendous fidelity!”
-
This, I believe, is the most astonishingly realistic and most stunningly awesome recording I’ve ever heard.
“…a disc for the most demanding audiophile and for the most discerning music lover, not that the two are mutually exclusive. … This, I believe, is the most astonishingly realistic and most stunningly awesome recording I’ve ever heard.”
