Piano Concerto No. 1 (Saint-Saëns)
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The Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 17, by Camille Saint-Saëns was composed in 1858,[1] when the composer was 23 and dedicated to Marie Jaëll.[2] It is the first piano concerto ever written by a major French composer.
Movements
[edit]There are three movements:
- Andante – Allegro assai: The piano concerto opens with a Wagnerian horn solo that fades to light strings, a soft piano melody, and more strings before breaking into the main theme of the piece. The horn is prevalent throughout, as are the strings, before concluding in D major.
- Andante sostenuto quasi adagio: The second movement is very dark and falls slightly short of eerie; low, slow cellos back-dropped by plucking violins lead to a soft and slow piano melody. Meanwhile, the strings play a large part in the piece while the theme from the opening movement continues.
- Allegro con fuoco: A thunderous finale mixes all of the themes from the horns, the piano and the strings in a uplifting and inspiring and blazing finale, ending in the key of D major.
Instrumentation
[edit]The work is scored for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. A notable feature is an opening triadic solo for the natural horn which predates the much more famous example of Johannes Brahms's B-flat concerto by around 20 years.
Recordings
[edit]- Jeanne-Marie Darré, piano, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, conducted by Louis Fourestier. 2 CD EMI 1955 1957 report 1996
- Aldo Ciccolini, piano, Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Serge Baudo. 2 CD Emi 1971. Choc de Classica 2019
- Philippe Entremont, piano, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, conducted by Michel Plasson, 2 CD CBS Sony 1976
- Gabriel Tacchino, piano, Orchestra Of Radio Luxembourg, conducted by Louis De Froment "Complete Works For Piano And Orchestra" 3 LP Vox 1976 / reprint: CD Brilliant Classics
- Jean-Philippe Collard, piano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by André Previn (2 CD EMI classics 1987).
- Pascal Rogé, piano, Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit. 2 CD Decca 1981
- Stephen Hough, piano, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo. 2 CD Hyperion 2001. Gramophone Awards Record of the Year 2002. Diapason d'Or, Choc Le Monde la Musique
- Anna Malikova, piano, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, conducted by Thomas Sanderling. 2 SACD Audite 2010
References
[edit]- ^ Fallon, Daniel M.; Harding, James; Ratner, Sabina Teller (2001). "Saint-Saëns, (Charles) Camille". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.24335. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^ Leuchtmann, Horst; Timbrell, Charles (2013). "Jaëll [née Trautmann], Marie". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.14092. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
External links
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