Thread: César Franck (1822-1890)

What do you think about César Franck (1822-1890)?
Some facts from other people that can help you:
-Camille Saint-Saëns hated and hated Franck so much... I think he prefered Wagner!
-Edvard Grieg: (when he was listening «Les Béatitudes») «I don't understand why you, french people, just listen Berlioz if you have Franck wich has much more great music than Berlioz»
-Erik Satie: «one thing is clear: Franck is Franck»
-Marcel Proust loved Franck and the «Violin's Sonata» influenced «À la recherche du temps perdu» and other works by Proust.
-Jules Romain: (in a letter to Franck) «I want to know more your music master!»
-Pablo Neruda loved Franck but when he asked about Franck to Claudio Arrau, the great pianist answered: «Franck? You must listen Verdi!»
-Franz Liszt: «there is just one composer capable to create great instrumental music, this composer is César Franck»
-Hans von Bülow and Cosima Wagner loved Franck music. Franck dedicated a album to Cosima and she persuaded him very much to going live to Germany!
-Francis Poulenc: «I don't like Franck because he's not latin.»
(.............)

Franck had the reputation for being a great organist and a mediocre composer until that amazing Indian Summer where he no doubt bamboozled both critics and fellow-composers alike with the magic that teemed pretty much perpetually from his quill from then on! I have most of the more noted works from his final years, the main exceptions being the tone poems and the aforementioned Les Beatitudes, and I don't think they yield anything to the contemporary output of the curmudgeonly Saint-Saens, who seemed to have little truck with the thought of sharing equal billing with fellow-nationals (even though I'm quite an an admirer of his work as well). One things for certain when comparing the two - Franck certainly knocked spots off him with his later keyboard works.

Franck is never cheap; he is always noble and dignified, but on the other hand, his upper lip is never so stiff that it becomes a comedy. He has excellent balance between form and content. He is also... mysterious, much more than for example Saint-Saëns or Berlioz, or any of his contemporary compatriots, really. I love Franck!

I have truly fallen in love with César Franck today. Incredible, effortlessly flowing music. I wish he had written about 10 more symphonies.

Does anybody know which other composers Saint-Saëns hated?