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Victorin JoncieresFrench composer and music critic
Date of Birth: 12.04.1839
Country:  France |
Content:
Camille Saint-Saëns: Composer and Critic
Camille Saint-Saëns was a prominent French composer and musical critic.
Formative Years
Saint-Saëns initially studied painting under François Picot. However, he enrolled at the Paris Conservatory in 1848, where he pursued music under Aimé Leborne. In 1860, captivated by Richard Wagner's revolutionary operas, he abandoned his studies before graduating.
Operatic Compositions
Saint-Saëns composed several operas, including:- Sardanapale(1867)
- La dernière journée de Pompéi(1869)
- Dimitri(1871)
- Jean de Nivelle(1886)
Dimitri: A Critical Triumph
"Dimitri," Saint-Saëns's cherished masterpiece, premiered on May 5, 1876, at the Théâtre National-Lyrique in Paris. It enjoyed a successful run of 46 performances during its first season. The opera was later revived in Bordeaux in 1883 and at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1890.
Musical Criticism
From 1871 to 1900, Saint-Saëns actively contributed as a music critic to the newspaper "La Liberté." He championed the works of composers such as César Franck and Emmanuel Chabrier.
