DANSE MACABRE - SAINT-SAËNS | Organ Solo by Valentina Huang

Valentina Huang performs Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. https://www.valentinahuangorganist.com/ ------ Composed in 1874, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse macabre is one of the most vivid tone poems of the Romantic era. Inspired by a French legend, the work depicts Death’s yearly gathering of skeletons and spirits, who whirl through the night in a grotesque and exhilarating dance before disappearing at the first crow of the rooster. In this organ transcription (mostly from Lemare's edition), the instrument becomes an orchestra of shadows: delicate colors suggest rattling bones and distant whispers, while the full organ unleashes the work’s terrifying climaxes. Few pieces better demonstrate the organ’s extraordinary capacity for storytelling, drama, and color. ------ Performer: Valentina Huang Recorded on the the Fisk-Rosales Organ, The Edythe Bates Old Grand Organ and Recital Hall, Shepherd School of Music, Houston, Texas.