By 1858, Saint-Saëns was already an accomplished composer, having written three symphonies, a mass, numerous songs, cantatas, and instrumental works.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Camille Saint-Saëns, in contrast to his friend Bizet, stated that he pursued "the chimera of purity, of style and perfection of form" in his music.
Compositional Technique
Saint-Saëns developed a colorful, romantic harmonic style with modal inflections that cloud the tonality, often substituting more remote chords and keys for expected ones.
Composition History
The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major was the first of several works Saint-Saëns composed for the great Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate, who was a famous virtuoso even at 15 years old in 1859.
Compositional Technique
Saint-Saëns often followed Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto model by starting his concertos with an accompanimental figure over which the soloist enters with the main theme, rather than a traditional orchestral introduction.
Performer Biography
Philippe Graffin, the violinist on this recording, studied in Marseille and at the Paris Conservatoire, graduating with a first prize at the age of sixteen.
Compositional Technique
Saint-Saëns' concertos often feature a sensitive and innovative approach to the concerto form, along with a strong feeling for idiomatic solo writing for various instruments.
You might also enjoy...
Taneyev: Concert Suite for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 28
