Camille Saint-Saëns' manuscripts for the pieces on this album are meticulously neat, making them easy to decipher for the pianist.
Compositional Technique
The solo piano version of Saint-Saëns' Africa, as with his other concertante pieces, is even more difficult for the pianist than the original orchestral version.
Recording & Production
The unpublished manuscripts recorded on this album were given permission to be copied and recorded after much maneuvering with personnel at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Compositional Technique
Saint-Saëns' Africa, featured on this album, incorporates the Algerian scale and melismatic gestures to evoke specific instruments and idioms.
Recording & Production
This album features world premiere recordings of eight pieces, including two Bagatelles, Antwort, and several fantasy-transcriptions.
Performer Biography
Geoffrey Burleson, the pianist on this album, is a core member of several ensembles including the American Modern Ensemble and Boston Musica Viva.
Composition History
The performer, Geoffrey Burleson, discovered several unpublished solo piano manuscripts by Saint-Saëns at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris in June 2013.
