Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Africa & Wedding Cake

Featuring

Neeme Järvi
Truls Mørk
Louis Lortie
Hélène Mercier
Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester
Camille Saint-Saëns

Did you know?

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Cultural Impact

Saint-Saëns's 'Le Cygne' (The Swan) from The Carnival of the Animals was choreographed by Fokine for the ballerina Anna Pavlova as 'The Dying Swan', a role she learned on the mandolin.

Composition History

The premiere of Saint-Saëns's First Cello Concerto was partly due to pressure from the Société nationale de Musique, an organization co-founded by Saint-Saëns to promote French music, and a request from cellist Auguste Tolbecque.

Composer Biography

Camille Saint-Saëns, the composer, cancelled all concert engagements for a month after the death of his beloved great-aunt Charlotte in January 1872, an unprecedented act in his seventy-year performing career.

Composition History

Saint-Saëns sketched his fantasia 'Africa' in Cadiz and Las Palmas in 1889, traveling under the alias M. Charles Sannois to avoid recognition.

Critical Reception

Saint-Saëns's 'Wedding-cake' Caprice-Valse, while delightful, branded him as a lightweight composer, similar to how Stravinsky's 'L'Oiseau de feu' became a 'success obstacle' for him.

Recording & Production

This recording uses 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which provides a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.