It's really saying something when recordings from the 1980s and 1990s have already been labeled as "Legendary Recordings" on a major label like Decca. Yet under the baton of
Charles Dutoit, the
Montreal Symphony, and the
Philharmonia Orchestra have achieved just that. Although
Saint-Saëns' Third Symphony is most well known for the inclusion of the organ, the instrument plays for only a very small portion of the work. The rest of the composition relies heavily on the strings to carry the piece. The sound that
Dutoit coaxes from the strings of the
Montreal Symphony ranges deftly from crisp and sparkling to lush and velvety, and it rivals the legendary string sound of
Eugene Ormandy and the
Philadelphia Orchestra -- an ensemble that
Dutoit, ironically, would himself conduct. More than 50 years later in the history of French compositions for organ and orchestra comes
Poulenc's Concerto for organ, strings, and timpani in G minor. Here, the organ is clearly given much more emphasis throughout the composition. Like his predecessor,
Poulenc relies heavily on the strings of the orchestra, so much so that he omits every other instrument from the accompaniment save for the timpani. Unlike the
Montreal Symphony, however, the strings of the
Philharmonia Orchestra are not quite as tight and precise, especially in faster sections. The recording made by the
English Chamber Orchestra under the direction of
David Hill may be a preferred alternative for this work.