The Maestoso section from the Third Symphony of Saint- Saens is one of the most famous works for organ and orchestra. Every organist has at one time or another dreamt of the possibi- lity of playing this extraordinary passage without the orchestra - - always a half-step sharp -- and to be solely responsible for the performance.
This is what has been done in Thierry Pallesco's ar- rangement. The score is sober and effective, offering the essence of the work while carefully considering the sounds created. It allows the organist to recreate this famous finale by himself, with the key- boards of his «organ-orchestra.» For reasons of orchestration and also of playability the central section of the piece could not be trans- cribed and so the fugato leads directly to the coda.