The instrumentation bears note: whereas the Third Symphony was written with the organ incorporated as a member of the orchestral ensemble, something that would bear repetition (most famously in Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra), Cyprès et Lauriers is structured in traditional concerto form with the organ as soloist.
One of Saint-Saëns' more unusual compositions, this piece has not secured the same status as his Third Symphony, written for similar ensemble 31 years earlier.