Saint-Saëns: The Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Pianist Stephen Hough is a certified genius, recipient of a 2001 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." Although he apparently received the award for his explorations of uncommon piano repertoire, he also deserved it for the quality of his piano tone, which is extremely beautiful, as conveyed here by Hyperion's lush recording of the Saint-Saens piano concertos. Unlike most previous volumes of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, this one includes some familiar works, especially the Second Piano Concerto. If you listen to that first, you'll realize just how good Hough's performances are throughout this set, since he matches any of the great pianists who have recorded the work. Notice the way he zips through the incredibly fast finale without the slightest hint of effort or rush. Although the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Concertos are the only ones still heard in our concert halls, all these pieces have their attractions--especially the delightful waltz "Wedding Cake," which would make a great concert encore. Sakari Oramo, the new music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, provides alert accompaniment, rich in detail, and the orchestra plays beautifully. This isn't an inexpensive set, but quality like this is cheap at any price. --Leslie Gerber

Amazon.com

Pianist Stephen Hough is a certified genius, recipient of a 2001 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." Although he apparently received the award for his explorations of uncommon piano repertoire, he also deserved it for the quality of his piano tone, which is extremely beautiful, as conveyed here by Hyperion's lush recording of the Saint-Saens piano concertos. Unlike most previous volumes of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, this one includes some familiar works, especially the Second Piano Concerto. If you listen to that first, you'll realize just how good Hough's performances are throughout this set, since he matches any of the great pianists who have recorded the work. Notice the way he zips through the incredibly fast finale without the slightest hint of effort or rush. Although the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Concertos are the only ones still heard in our concert halls, all these pieces have their attractions--especially the delightful waltz "Wedding Cake," which would make a great concert encore. Sakari Oramo, the new music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, provides alert accompaniment, rich in detail, and the orchestra plays beautifully. This isn't an inexpensive set, but quality like this is cheap at any price. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Russian Nights.......2007-05-08

Great music! And it came with a freebie trial CD of some other Classical CDs- like getting a free CD.

Renaissance Man.......2006-04-05

Saint-Saens was a Renaissance man: botany, astronomy, archeology, mathematics, natural history, and philosophy were subjects he participated in throughout his life. He wrote articles, read papers at scientific societies, contributed notes to learned journals on the eclipse of the sun, and published a volume of poetry. Saint-Saens was also a musical child prodigy; began piano lessons at age 2 ½, at 3 wrote his first composition, and memorized a recital of Mozart and Beethoven concertos, as well as music by Handel, Hummel, and Bach. This CD of piano/orchestral works is a showcase of Saint-Saens' brilliant musical mind, one which was considered old-fashioned by modern composers of the time, and fused Classicism and Romanticism together, a style today's society is happy to have, since Saint-Saens could have easily been successful in another career.

The four character pieces for piano and orchestra are all rather interesting. Wedding Cake (6')is a waltz-caprice for piano and strings alone; a dainty showpiece in a whimsical setting, sparring gentility vs. extroverted. The Allegro Appassionato (5') is also a showpiece with lightning-quick orchestral and piano work, with a lush, contrasted middle. Rhapsodie d'Auvergne (8') uses a folk-based melody Saint-Saens heard a French washer-woman singing. Fresh, captivating melody and orchestration, the music is emotionally moving, along with come snappier folk-like ideas in contrast. The last, Africa (9'), is taken from Saint-Saens' many travels abroad: Algeria, Canary Islands, Africa, Russia, South America, USA, Scandinavia, and Indonesia; Saint-Saens in fact studied the folk music of North Africa. The work, Africa, is a sort of fantasy on many tunes from North Africa, another neat orchestral/piano showpiece.

The five piano concertos show a growth in composition from Saint-Saens over a period of time. The first (26')is inspired by the Fontainebleau forest; there is fresh vitality, youthful optimism, as well as occasional Spanish harmonic inflections, a trend Saint-Saens will continue more in his lifetime. The second concerto (21'), with its gruff, minor opening, is a Romantic counterpart to his first; long sweeping lines, a fanciful scherzo, and dramatic sweep throughout show a maturing Saint-Saens. Concerto No. 3 (25')shows Saint-Saens' penchant for melody; while the opening is a bit wandering and ponderous, there is a catchy, heroic theme; an emotional second mvt., and an infectious finale theme, a heavy barcarolle/dance type feel, for an emotional and fun concerto. The fourth concerto (24'), only in two movements, begins with a sneaky theme in a sort of theme and variation form, along with a chorale reminiscent of his "Organ" Symphony, but ending with a lively scherzo, a simple melody, and a dashing finale, showing simplicity and classicism in his mature style. The last concerto (27'), often called "Egyptian", is unabashedly Romantic, including some bold and striking Spanish rhythms, some unusual modes and syncopations, some orientalism (weird voicings and multi-cultural devices that are unusually forward-looking for Saint-Saens), and an optimistic finale. The evolution of time shows Saint-Saens embracing the past, with a special hold on Romanticism, but surprises me with no lack of inventiveness in later life, not to mention a never-quelling mind for tunefulness, evident in all of these works.

These are very good performances by Stephen Hough on piano and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo. The orchestra is rich and full, all voices speak clearly and play with lightness, humor, and grandeur when asked for; all in all a terrific ensemble presentation. The pianist is remarkably at home; nothing is heavy (which is rarely called for in Saint-Saens), bringing out the classicism in his music. Instead, texture and color are Saint-Saens' best Romantic attributes, and Hough brings those out, not to mention extremely clean playing. The piano is miked close, and the sound is forward and "dry", but Hough backs off when his role requires it, and the piano and orchestra work remarkably well together, playing off one another at times. The Hyperion sound is excellent and makes the disk a success, a resonant atmosphere and crisp playing are captured on this disk well. The CD's are full as well: CD1 at 79+ minutes and CD2 at 76 minutes, is a lot of music, and the extra four character pieces on top of the concertos makes this a must-have. Excellent performances with amazing sound; recommended. TT: 155.28

Critically acclaimed - and a favorite of mine, too.......2003-09-24

This wonderful recording of the Saint-Saens concertos does a fine job of rendering the Romantic style without getting smug about it. Hough gives them an appropriately warm and colourful feel, without lapsing into the overly lush and indistinct sound I associate with other performances. The four non-concerto pieces make this a very nice set, and the flamboyant 'Africa' in particular will keep you coming back for more.

I have always been a fan of Stephen Hough, from the first time I saw his hands dissolve into an utter blur - not for one measure or passage, but for most of a fiery encore (we got three out of him that night!). These discs prove his facility with somewhat mellower fare, and have brought Saint-Saens back to my attention after years of (unintentional) neglect. If you want mighty and massive, Saint-Saens' German or Russian contemporaries will be more satisfying; but lyrical works like these should not be overlooked if you want to be acquainted with the best of the piano concerto form.

A Fine Set, But Not as Fine as It Might Be.......2003-07-29

The most remarkable feature of this recording may also be one of its chief drawbacks-namely that all of Saint-Saens' concerted music of piano is crammed onto two chock-a-block discs. I doubt, given the technical limitations of the compact disc, that Hyperion could have added a brief etude or caprice to either of these CDs. Great value, then, except that it seems this compactness came at a price. Almost all of these works seem rushed in spots, as if Hough and company knew they were working against space constraints. I can't say for a fact that this is true, but while there is no end of brio and élan in these performances, there is often a lack of the Gallic elegance that Saint-Saens also provides in works that, not surprisingly, the suave, fastidious craftsman Maurice Ravel cited as models for his concertos.

If all you know is the popular Second Concerto, which some wag once claimed as traversing music history "from Bach to Offenbach," then you only know the shallowest of Saint-Saens' concertos. If you are not familiar with the Fourth Concerto, Saint-Saens' finest orchestral work, you should be. Built on the same architectural principles as the composer's popular Organ Symphony, this is more successful still and certainly more tasteful, though, as in the Organ Symphony, the finale is the weakest bit and keeps the concerto in the realm of the near-great rather than the great. Hough and Oramo lavish their best work on this concerto, and the performance is a winner, from the mysterious opening to the resounding appearance of the motto theme in chorale treatment by the brass. (After that, it's all downhill for the concerto anyway, as Saint-Saens ends with some especially empty display work for the pianist.)

Elsewhere, I find a lack of willingness on the part of the soloist and conductor to let the music expand naturally. This is especially true in the slow movement of the Egyptian Concerto (No. 5), which here lacks the requisite exoticism and even mysticism, I think. Ditto Saint-Saens' other North Africa-inspired piece titled simply "Africa." There may be something of the slapdash about this work anyway, though I enjoy it, but the performers give this less-than-vintage Saint-Saens no time to breathe, which it sorely needs if it is to survive at all. There's a tendency to rush the charming First Concerto, too, and there, despite all the brilliance, goes some of the charm. On the other hand, the underrated Third Concerto sounds imposing and even important in Hough's performance, and if he can't do much for the commonplace music of the finale, no one else can either.

One other problem has to do with the recording. In general, Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series has featured fine, natural sound, but here the sound is very close and dry, with the piano placed in an unnaturally forward and rather airless perspective.

So while I'm, as always, impressed by the brilliance of Hough's playing in these concertos, I think something important is missing. And as fine as the Fourth Concerto and parts of the other concertos are in these performances, overall I prefer Jean-Phillipe Collard and Andre Previn. The sound on their EMI discs (catalog number 73356) is more recessed and maybe a little lacking in presence but much more realistic overall. And the performances have all the Gallic elegance that Hough and Oramo's lack. Add to this EMI's two-fer price, and you can't go wrong.

So if your budget allows for two sets of Saint-Saens concertos, certainly Hough's should be one of them. Otherwise, I think Collard is your man.

An Outstanding Set.......2001-12-13

I read a comment several years ago by the pianist Phillipe Entremont that he felt the Saint Saens concerto's lacked the emotional charge of the German concertos (Beethoven, Schumann etc.) I think this comment is shortsighted in that it neglects the many concertos written for the instrument between Beethoven and Saint Saens, a tradition that the Romantic Piano Series provides insight into. It is arguable that Saint Saens (a true Renaissance man) was the most accomplished composer-performer of his day and his piano concertos represent a high point. Perhaps the awful truth is that these concertos are fun to listen to. They are virtuoso pieces that sparkle and delight. Perhaps not as profound as some concertos but works that should be heard much more frequently in the concert hall.

Amazon.com

This series of Saint-Saëns' piano music, recorded in 1974, will be of interest to the composer's admirers, but it's not likely to win any awards. Most of the music consists of glittering generalities, with few memorable moments and a lot of padding. Saint-Saëns had inspirations, but he didn't waste many of them on his solo piano music. In the few cases when a piece has become familiar, we can tell that Dosse's performances are mostly just adequate, seldom exciting or insightful. She gets around the keys well enough, and the last of the Six Etudes (based on the composer's own Fifth Piano Concerto) is pretty dazzling, but elsewhere she seems to be just going through the motions. The solo piano music, recorded by the wonderful Elite team of Nickrenz & Aubort, has splendid sound quality. But the duets, recorded in Stuttgart, sound boxy and flat--except for "Carnival of the Animals," with the sparkling chamber orchestra. This certainly isn't a bad set, but it's only a compelling purchase for lovers of this composer who can't get enough of his piano music. Well, now they can. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Decent performances but terrible sound quality.......2007-06-01

The performances on this collection were decent, although it is somewhat hard to judge them, not being familiar with most of the items. However, the sound quality is way below expectations for something that was originally recorded in ca. 1974 (more like what one would expect from the 1920s or 1930s). There are inexplicable bumps and pops (no pits or scratches obvious on the CDs), and the general acoustics are very subdued (as if the transfer were done using a tape recorder on a monophonic turntable). One cannot claim that it this way because of the budget price - other labels have managed to do much better in their offerings at this price point (such as the D. Scarlatti sonata selection by Pletnev on Virgin Classics which I had purchased in the same order as this CD set).

Proto-Modern Music.......2004-05-21

Saint-Saens didn't believe that music must express deep emotion to be worthwhile. He was more interested in beautiful surfaces than in profundity. The composer's aesthetic, which might be described as "decorative," justifies certain limitations and is not all that different from Milhaud's or Poulenc's, although the musical idiom is more 19th century than 20th century.

Because this is a "complete works" set of CDs, the quality of the compositions is predictably uneven. Several of the many pieces included are too protracted, formulaic and even dull, but few are without any interest. Almost all seem impersonal and dispassionate. That said, much of the music is lovely, frequently colorful and occasionally dazzling. Saint-Saens piano writing is almost always transparent, elegant, ironic and wry. Some pieces, like the Scherzo for Two Pianos (which is organized as a palindrome), the Valse Gaie and the Etude en Forme de Valse, are stunning mixtures of modern musical language and traditional gestures. There is truly no other music like this.

Admirers of French music are fortunate that Vox decided to reissue these performances, which range from adequate to excellent.

COMPLEMENTS STEPHEN HOUGHT SAINT SAENS CONCERTOS.......2003-08-12

I AM LISTENING TO THE FOURTH OF FIVE CDS PLAYED ON THE PIANO BY FRENCH WOMEN MARYLENE DOSSE AND ANNIE PETIT. THEY ARE EXCELLENT ESCAPISMS. I DON'T KNOW ONE FROM THE OTHER, BUT JUST LAY BACK ON A SULTRY DAY AND ENJOY.
I THOUGHT I MAY HAVE DUPLICATED SAINT-SAENS COMPLETE WORKS FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA BY SAKARI ORAMO UNDER STEPHEN HOUGH OF THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM ORCHESTRA, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. WITH VOX I GOT 5 CDS AT HALF THE PRICE OF THE HOUGH TWO CDS. SO THE SELECTIONS AREN'T FAMILIAR. WHO NEEDS MORE OF THE SAME?

Saint-Saëns: Complete works for Piano & Winds

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Saint-Saëns: Complete works for Piano & Winds

Manufacturer: Kontrapunkt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000027TN8
Release Date: 1990-01-01

Tracks:

Caprice, Op.79
Romance, Op.36
Romance, Op.37
Cavatine, Op.144
Reverie Du Soir from Op.60
Romance, Op.67
Adagio Et Var
Tarantelle, Op.6

Tracks:

Odelette, Op.162
Son in D, Op.166: Andantino/Ad libitum. Allegretto/Molto allegro
Son in E flat, Op.167: Allegretto/Allegro animato/Lento/Molto allegro
Son in G, Op.168: Allegretto moderato/Allegro scherzando/Molto adagio/Allegro moderato
Septet in E flat, Op.65: Preambule/Menuet/Intermede/Gavotte et Final

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The Complete Solo Recordings 1929-36

Manufacturer: APR
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000025U3E
Release Date: 1994-01-01

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The Complete Solo Recordings, 1929-1936

Manufacturer: Apr UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000FTWAOA
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Tracks:

Prelude
Danza Espanola No.1
Danza Espanola
Jota
Sicilienne
Adagio (Largo)
Andante
1st Version
2nd Version
Sonata In G Minor
Scherzando Op.6 No.2
Malaguena Op.165 No.3
Poupee Valsante
La Fontaine D'Arethuse Op.30 No.1
Tango Op.165 No.2
Havanaise Op.83

Tracks:

Intrada (Adagio)
Chaconne
Gavotte En Rondeau
Preludio
Rondo
Menuet & Gavotta-Giga
Minstrels
Berceuse Op.16
Allegro Non Troppo
Scherzando (Allegro Molto)
Andante
Rondo (Allegro)

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There really were "good old days"
Great French violinist at his best

The Complete Solo Recordings 1929-36

Manufacturer: Appian ( Apr )
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000004ACU
Release Date: 1995-11-30

Customer Reviews:

There really were "good old days".......2000-04-11

If you have ever feel empty when listening to modern violinusts you come to appreciate the "good old days" of violinists like Thibaud and Kreisler. I'll be blunt. They knew how to make a portamento and they were not ashamed to do it. Thirty years ago when I was studying the violin with teachers who grew up with models like Kreisler and Thibaud they would give examples of the old style slides and say "we don't do that anymore".

Today's soulless playing may be an overreaction to tasteless imitators of Kreisler, Thibaud and their contemporaries. But the baby went out with the bath water and all we have today is a tub with a ring around it.

Masterpieces on this set include the Eccles Sonata in G, the Sicilienne by von Paradies, the Faure Berceuse, a transcription of Mozart's "Elvira Madigan", the Vitali Chaconne and more . The slow movement of the Lalo Symphonie Espagnole is a revelation.

Young violinists should steep themselves in this sound and then find the old teachers who remember how to draw the bow to obtain this distilled tone and move the hand to connect the notes in such musical ways.

But if this music fails to bring a tear to the eye or evoke a gasp of delight then he/she should carefully place his/her violin the its case and take up the electric guitar.

Great French violinist at his best.......1999-07-29

These 2CDs shows the great French violnist Jacques Thibaud at his best. Thibaud made some wonderful sonatas and chamber music recording in the 1920s with Cortot and Casals. These recordings show that Thibaud was one of the most distinguished violin soloist as well as chamber musician. His interpretations of Saint-Saens and Spanish music of Granados and de Falla are one of the best I heard, and his interpretations of Baroque and Classical short pieces are deliciously alive and utterly lacking in "dry academism." His recording of Symphonie Espagnole was recorded live at later date (1940s)and technically he is not as clean as violinists today, but what an overpoweringly individual performance it is! Thibaud really "owned" this piece, and through his hands the piece becomes something very special. In my opinion, Thibaud was an incomparable charmer of the violin, in the class of Kreisler, and these recordings prove it! Enjoy!