52. A one-off symphony.

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Do you think that classical music is not for you and you don't know where to start? Or maybe you're a fan already and would welcome a fresh approach. You've come to the right place. Perfect pitch is for everyone, beginners or experts, whatever your age. Lend Nick Healy Hutchinson your ears for his weekly dose of classical music that will enrich your life.

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Only Tchaikovsky had the foresight to predict that the opera Carmen, the Parisian George Bidet's final work, which was a complete flop in its first performance in 1874, would turn out to be one of the most popular operas ever written. The reception at its first performance was so bad it meant that the composer went to his grave only a few months later, completely unaware of the huge success it would one day become. And that first negative reaction can be said to be typical of much of its work, most of which was largely forgotten in the years following his early death. Another young departure at just 36. In fact, the French have a specific expression for this that other faded is there, crossing from the desert, reflecting the works of composers which have gone into the wilderness and been discovered with a revived popularity many years after their death. Bizet's body, a quick-tempered and heavy cigar-smaking lifestyle, brought on two heart attacks, and he did not recover from a second. But that initial negative view of his music was happily revised in the 20th century, and he's now given the recognition of deserves, and not just the comment. When he was only 17 in 1855, they wrote its emphasis in the city. As well as sense of two bands here and there too. Occasionally it's still referred to as company number one, which looks like its superfluous title, as its first was also his last. Oddly, it was never performed in his lifetime and they undiscovered until 1933, receiving its first public performance a couple of years later. Bidet never gave any clear reason as to why he didn't want it published in his life, although a possible explanation is that he was aware of its similarities with a popular symphony by Charles Grunot, his teacher at the Paris Conservatoire. And strangely, unlike other European countries, notably Germany, of course, symphonic writing was not really a thing in France, more something which had to be done as a sort of exercise as part of musical education, a stepping stone of the real goal of the opera. Anyway, I think it's a piece of oozing with charm and the work of some maturity from a 17-year-old. And I hope you'll see why I would be disappointed, or worse, think I'm being lazy. The truth is, I was only going to play the first movement. But after listening to the rest, I thought it was crazy to leave you in the lurch and wonder how it goes on. So here it is in full. V Days Symphony in C in the traditional four movement structure, played by the Royal Costacheva Orchestra conducted by Bernard Hyatink.

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That's it for now. Thank you for listening to Perfect Pitch with Nick Healy Hutchinson. He'll be back again next week with some more treasures for you, so please do join him then. And you can subscribe to this podcast by clicking on the link below.