Chris Eaton reading from Symphony No. 3 at the 2019 Book*hug Fall Launch | Book*hug Press

Chris Eaton reading from Symphony No. 3 at the 2019 Book*hug Fall Launch

Symphony No. 3 follows the life of renowned French composer Camille Saint-Saëns as he ascends from child prodigy to worldwide fame. As his acclaim grows in Paris, the musical world around him clamours with competitors, dilettantes, turncoats, and revenge seekers. At the height of his success, Camille leaves everything behind to embark on a Dantean quest to discover the truth about his dead lover, Henri. At the end of this adventure, still haunted by the holes in his past, he takes up an invitation to journey by ocean-liner to the New World.

Finely crafted in its own unique rhythmic language, Symphony No. 3 is cast in four sections to mirror Saint-Saëns’s famous work, popularly known as the Organ Symphony, and is told through the perspective of his devoted twin brother who may or may not be imaginary.

Though set in the decades surrounding the fin de siècle, Symphony No. 3 speaks directly to our present moment and the rise of political violence.

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