Saint-Saëns' La muse with Zuill and Yuriy
Yuriy Bekker and Zuill Bailey join in Saint-Saëns’ rarely performed La muse et le poète, an intimate musical conversation for violin, cello, and orchestra.
- Guest Artists
About This Piece
Camille Saint-Saëns’ La muse et le poète is a lyrical duet for violin and cello, set against a lush orchestral backdrop. Though its poetic title was added by the publisher rather than the composer, the work does unfold like an intimate conversation: two solo voices trading phrases, memories, and emotions with elegance and restraint.
In this live recording from November 2025, Charleston Symphony Artistic Director and Concertmaster Yuriy Bekker and Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey bring warmth and nuance to one of Saint-Saëns’ more rarely performed works. Rather than a showpiece built on virtuosic display, La muse et le poète moves freely between tenderness, melancholy, and quiet mystery, allowing the violin and cello to respond to one another as equal partners. The result is a deeply expressive performance that reveals the beauty, subtlety, and emotional depth of Saint-Saëns’ late style.
