Saint-Saëns' Circle: Sandrine Piau

Saint-Saëns was one of the most gifted composers of his era, influencing a generation of French composers. In this series we hear his music paired with works by students, friends and contemporaries.

French soprano Sandrine Piau sings mélodies by Saint-Saëns and his circle – elegance and ecstasy, from one of our finest living interpreters of French song.

Sandrine Piau is a soprano in a class of her own, effortlessly charismatic on the operatic stage, and ravishingly expressive when she turns to the more intimate world of song. ‘Piau imbues everything with a tender humanity’ wrote Gramophone, and today’s recital finds her exploring a repertoire that she has made wholly her own: the French mélodie, as perfected by Saint-Saëns and his circle, and performed in the salons and concert halls of fin de siècle Paris.