Saint-Saëns: Rare Piano Works Played on a 1923 Pleyel

Featuring

Mario Patuzzi
Camille Saint-Saëns

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Composer Biography

Saint-Saëns lived a long life, dying at 86 in Algiers in 1921, having met figures ranging from Berlioz to Stravinsky.

Recording & Production

The piano works on this CD are performed by Mario Patuzzi on a magnificent period instrument, a 1923 Pleyel piano.

Performer Biography

Mario Patuzzi, the pianist on this album, graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Trento at 19 and won first prize at the Munich International Music Competition in 1977.

Composition History

The Feuillet d'Album Op. 169, dedicated to the wife of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, was Saint-Saëns's last opus number, composed in his final year of life and published posthumously.

Composer Biography

Camille Saint-Saëns was considered a child prodigy, with Hector Berlioz remarking that he "knows everything, but lacks inexperience."

Composer's Artistic Vision

Saint-Saëns was a fierce polemicist who detested other prominent composers like Claude Debussy, D'Indy, Massenet, and Franck.

Critical Reception

Despite his technical mastery and popularity during his lifetime, much of Saint-Saëns's music, apart from a few famous works, is seldom performed today.