Symphony in A major (Saint-Saëns)
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The Symphony in A major is a work for orchestra by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
Saint-Saëns wrote the symphony in 1850 at the age of 15; it is therefore one of his early works. With it, Saint-Saëns turned to absolute music, which, however, was not highly regarded in France at the time.[1]
The work contains obvious influences from the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Today, the work is rarely performed. Of his five symphonies, only the Third ('Organ') Symphony is performed relatively often.
Instrumentation
Movements
The symphony is, broadly, in four movements:
- Poco adagio – Allegro vivace (A major)
- Larghetto (D major)
- Scherzo vivace (A major)
- Finale: Allegro molto – Presto (A major)
A typical performance lasts for approximately 25 minutes.
