Georges Bizet

Symphony in C

Written right after he turned 17 and studying at the Paris Conservatoire, this early work by Georges Bizet (1838-1875) is thought to have been a student assignment written for his teacher, Charles Gounod, whose earlier and recent SYMPHONY IN D Bizet's student outing resembles in many respects.  Bizet never intended to see the work published or performed, as he does not mention it in any of his letters, though some musical material does find its way into later works.  The manuscript was given to composer Reynaldo Hahn by Bizet's widow, who than passed it, along with other papers, to the conservatory library, where it was discovered by Jean Chantovoine in 1933.  The world premiere of this work written in 1855 took place in Basel, Switzerland, on February 26, 1935, under the baton of Felix Weingartner.  Following the premiere, the symphony was immediately hailed as a youthful masterpiece, similar in stature to Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's overture to A MIDSUMMER NIGHT"S DREAM, also written at a young age, and likewise quickly became part of the standard Romantic repertoire.  This edition includes horn and clarinet parts transposed to F and Bb respectively.  Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 included in set).