Camille Saint-Saëns: Duos pour piano et cordes

Featuring

Pauline Bartissol
Laurent Wagschal
Ayako Tanaka
Sébastien Surel
Pierre Fouchenneret
Ensemble Le Déluge

Camille Saint-Saëns

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Historical Context

During the Franco-Prussian War, Saint-Saëns and other French musicians formed the Société Nationale de Musique with the motto 'Ars Gallica' to promote French music and compete with Germany.

Composition History

The Ensemble Le Déluge, founded in 2019, is named after Saint-Saëns' oratorio 'Le Déluge', specifically referencing its radiant violin solo in the prelude that depicts the golden age of humanity.

Instruments

Ayako Tanaka, a violinist on this album, has been playing a Niccolo Amati violin from 1628 since 2006, on loan from anonymous donors.

Cultural Impact

Marcel Proust suggested that a phrase from Saint-Saëns' First Violin Sonata might have inspired the famous 'petite phrase' in his 'Vinteuil Sonata', symbolizing the love of Swann and Odette de Crecy.

Composer Biography

Camille Saint-Saëns, a driving force in the 19th-century French music revival, was a pioneer who focused on chamber music from a young age, unlike many contemporaries who prioritized opera.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Saint-Saëns' compositions are characterized by a permanent quest for perfection in form and the quality of the melodic line, reflecting his aesthetic devotion to purity and beauty.

Compositional Technique

Saint-Saëns' compositions often blend classical principles with innovations, balancing romantic tendencies (tempered and without excess) with a taste for older musical forms.