The Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 is described as having a diversity of styles, with its first movement being classical and its finale resembling a tarantella, leading to the saying 'it begins like Bach and ends like Offenbach'.
Composer Biography
Saint-Saëns and Tchaikovsky, though meeting only as artistic brothers on this album, shared a cordial friendship and a mutual appreciation for ballet, even performing a short ballet together.
Interpretation
Maria Stembolskaya's playing on this album aims to convey the orchestral grandeur of the original works, with her powerful and varied colors allowing listeners to imagine the different instruments.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Franz Liszt, a renowned composer and pianist, was dedicated to promoting his colleagues' music and his own through his virtuosity and skill in rendering complex orchestral textures on the piano.
Historical Context
Before the recording age, listeners and performers learned symphonic works through piano arrangements, which allowed music to spread to homes and salons.
Composition History
Georges Bizet, composer of the opera 'Carmen', was commissioned in 1871 to create a solo-piano version of Saint-Saëns's Second Piano Concerto, which had been a public success three years earlier.
Performer Biography
Maria Stembolskaya, the pianist on this album, has won several international prizes, including First Prize at the 'Pozzoli' competition in 1993 and the 'Busoni' international piano competition in 2003.
