Saint-Saëns Le rouet d'Omphale PCO Charles Munch

This is a track from Beulah 1PD31 MUNCH IN LONDON also available as a download at iTunes

for more info visit
http://www.eavb.co.uk
recorded this in Walthamstow
Assembly Hall in 1946, shortly after a London concert on October 6th
which featured Ravels La Valse alongside works by Franck, Debussy
and Roussel. The session for Saint-Saëns Le Rouet dOmphale (produced by Terence Gibbs) took place on October 11th.

Robert Matthew Walker writes in "International Record Review" March 2009:
" The Saint Saens gives the impression of being recorded more distantly, yet the tone on theses 78s is at times very impressive. The "Reformation" also appears on a recent Dutton all Mendelssohn CD, but the Beethoven and Ravel are worth such a duplication."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• pco
• munch

[ShadowVsScientology]

3:23 to about 4:25 is the theme from 'The Shadow' Radio Shows!!

[jayjayvet]

Gotta admit, I've always wanted to find out where "The Shadow" music came from so I finally googled it....and lo and behold, here 'tis! Well, as they say...."who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men....the Shadow knows! (heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh) Thanks for putting it on!

[Vigilante9033]

The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.

[SusieLee09]

I read the story on back of a 33&1/3rd record album; when one listens to this tone poem,it's as close as can be to how the music follows it, a woman spinning at the spinning wheel, the change to "something monstrous", then the resignation & resumption of the spinning,so it may have been the composer who "mixed up" the names from the that of Arachne to the Queen Omphale who was cruel to Heracles;if Saint-Saens had only gotten his own story correctly he should have named it Le Rouet d'Arachne!

[whyguys1]

Omphale was Lydian Queen to whom Hercules was sent to serve 3 year sentence for act of murder. Omphale capriciously loved the irony of humiliating the world's mightiest male by making him live as a feminized handmaiden, of lower status even than all other slavegirls. Hercules served the sentence madeup and dressed as a female, given only womanly household tasks to perform(SPINNING), ordered about and taunted by Omphale and all women of Her court. Sole similarity seems Arachne was also Lydian.

[whyguys1]

Not heard this narrative. There is ARACHNE whose great spinning skill led to a challenge with Athene god of weaving arts. There, Arachne's work was superb, but such hubris and the content of the work - indiscretions/infidelities of pantheon gods, led Athene to drive Arachne insane. When Arachne hanged herself, Athene, taking pity, changed her into a spider (THIS IS PITY?YUCHH!) so she and her descendents would be immortalized for their wondrous spinning. Modern term for spiders - ARACHNIDS.

[SusieLee09]

The story behind this is Omphale who was a beutiful woman much attached to her spinning wheel, but who was sought after by the God Zeus, whereupon the Goddess hera, his wife cursed Omphale to change into a spider...yet allowed omphale to once again take up her first love, of spinning and weaving. And so we hear her first at the spinning wheel, then going through a monstrous change, then reconciling to her new life, still able to spin and weave with beauty.There's extra stuff in this version

[Zormo777]

You must have the greatest screen name ever.

[wernerfrisio]

E`uma música deliciosa, vibrante ,faz  jus à Saint-Saens.O meu muito obrigado e à 60stock meus agradeccimentos,Werner de Blumenau BR