Customer Reviews

Saint-Saëns: Concertos

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Ideal sample of Saint-Saens' versatility. Three great concerti, showcasing three top perfomers, three excellent orchestra and three world-class conductors. Cello Concerto No.1 is my favorite. The composer has used the full range of the intrument, and every possible technical "trick" in the book! Ma handles it perfectly. The result is extremely engaging, a passionate masterpiece. Piano Concerto No.2 challenges the pianist, and Licad has what it takes to give a flawless performance. Lin shows virtuosity in performing Violon Concerto No. 3. Highly recommended.

If you're a classical music phobe or you haven't gotten
to know Saint-Saens' stuff, this is the disc for you.
If you're already a classical musician, this one should be in your library. It features the three most popular concertos of Saint-Saens, with three internationally-renowned artists - Cecile Licad, Yo Yo Ma, and Jimmy (Cho-Liang) Lin. Licad offers what is arguably the finest recording of
the Piano Concerto #2 (the most-performed and best-known of the five Saint Saens piano concerti). Full of vigor and boisterosity
in the allegro passages and tenderness in the largo passages,
I'd be crazy to try to find a better interpretation of it.
Lin, at his usual bravura best, suavely executes the popular Violin Concerto #3. Incidentally, if you're looking for consistently great recordings of a classical fiddler, look no further. Listen to Lin's recordings. He's never made a bad one and they shine like polished ebony. Yo-Yo Ma always gives a great reading, and the warhorse Cello Concerto #1 is no exception. I first heard this disc in 1990 when I was about 14 years old, and I've never stopped listening to it. I'm glad it hasn't gone out of print - and I hope it never does.

This CD is fantastic! All three concertos are very enjoyable and expertly played. The cello concerto and the violin concerto are great, but our favourite is the piano concerto, which sounds like it has a great first movement, no middle movement and 2 finales! If you don't know the work, when the second movement is running, you would swear it was the last movement ... until you hear the last movement, which is equally energetic.

Beautiful! Highly recommended

This collection of concertos by Saint-Saëns is the ideal one for those searching for the best of the French concerto repertoire. The three works recorded on this disc are shining examples of beautiful lyrical writing for soloist and orchestra. The CD is also bargain-priced at only $10.

Yo-Yo Ma gives an excellent rendition of the Cello Concerto No. 1, exhibiting great technical virtuosity as well as musicality. Comparatively few composers write for the cello than, say, the piano or violin; so if you like the sound of the cello this concerto is a must!

The Piano Concerto No. 2 as performed by Cecile Licad with the London Philharmonic and André Previn can be best described as "sparkling." Even the dark, dramatic first movement has a certain lightness to it. This concerto has no slow movement; the second movement is a playful scherzando, whimsical and humorous. It almost has an effervescent quality, like champagne bubbles. If the second movement is like a babbling brook, then the third is like a waterfall. It opens with a sudden rush in the strings, and the piano takes off at a rollicking presto. Licad's pianism is excellent.

Finally, there's the beautiful Violin Concerto No. 3, performed by Cho-Liang Lin. The opening movement is dark and turbulent, but with snatches of lyricism, a foretaste of more to come. The gorgeous slow movement evokes images of spring, with its flowering, passionate melodies; Lin is truly disarming here. The third movement is actually based on a motive from the first movement. There are plenty of virtuoso violin fireworks here, but beyond that the movement shows Saint-Saëns' great orchestral craftsmanship. The Philharmonia Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas gets a chance to shine at the end, with a triumphal theme in the brass underscored in the low strings. Brilliant orchestral writing.

Well, here is another interesting story for you: I wanted to make a music present to a friend of mine. I asked her what kind of music she would like. She told me that she would like to have a record by Camille Saint-Saens. I really must confess that I didn't possess any CD by Saint-Saens. I hardly knew this French composer. Well, why not? But which record would be the right one for her? - I didn't have to search for it for a long time. I very soon found this wonderful and excellent recording at Amazon.com.: Three beautiful concertos on one CD. Thank you very much! Ursula Krauß.

Camille Saint-Saens was a childhood prodigy and prolific composer who was also a poet, playwright, and had broad scientific interests. Musically, he resembled Mendelssohn in many ways, and to a lesser extent Liszt. This CD contains three of his best known concertos, cobbled together from earlier CD releases as part of the CBS Masterworks series. These performances were originally recorded in 1980-83.

Saint-Saens considered himself to be a classicist, but all three of these concertos depart from the classical concerto format of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. The opening movements are more like tone poems, with dramatic gestures that showcase bravura performances. Both the First Cello Concerto and the Third Violin Concerto refer back to opening movement themes in their finales. Second movements are light-hearted allegrettos rather than the usual slow movement. One won't find profundity in these concertos, but the music is colorful and beautifully wrought.

The Concerto No. 1 in A-Minor for Cello is performed by the reliable Yo-Yo Ma with the Orchestre National de France under Lorin Maazel. In this concerto, all three movements are played without a break. Ma's playing is faultless, and Maazel ably keeps the music moving by choosing a lively tempo.

The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G-Minor, is the star performance on this disk, in my opinion. The pianist is Cecile Licad, and she makes the most of this dramatic music, especially the opening cadenza-like introduction. The second movement scherzando is elfin music, and the finale is a furious tarantella with a quieter interlude. Licad handles this technically difficult music with apparent ease. I didn't know what a splendid pianist she is until I heard this recording. The London Philharmonic under Andre Previn do their part well.

The Violin Concerto No. 3 in B-Minor is performed by violinist Cho-Liang Lin and the Philharmonia Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas. Again, virtuosity is on display in this challenging piece, and Lin is up to the task. The orchestra is especially splendid in the concluding hymn-like chorale.

It's not clear whether or not there has been additional remastering of these recordings, but the sound quality is excellent and well-balanced between soloist and orchestra in all three performances. There's very little that one could find fault with here, so I can recommend this CD highly for these fine performances of favorite Saint-Saens concertos.

The rather brief liner notes gives a summary of each concerto but not a word about the soloists. Ma is well known, but I had to look up information about Licad and Lin on the internet.

I'll admit I'm an unabashed lover of Saint-Saëns' music. (Goodness, why be apologetic?) Though the music can certainly sound derivative at times, the man knew how to write a compact score with substance and little fat -- and that also entertains! This CD is an incredible bargain consisting of top-notch performances (and performers!) from the early '80s in fine early digital sound, one I would recommend especially to the Saint-Saëns uninitiate.

Once again Lin and Ma - two brilliant Chinese musician and other great musicians shared their master piece together on one CD. I view this CD and their "Haydn: Three Favoriate Concertos" are among the best CD's ever have being produced. Even if you enjoy jazz and light rock like me, I am sure you will find this CD very very enjoyable. Surpringly, two of my kids are playing No. 2 and 3 pieces of this CD at the same time. What a lovely coincidence in life!

Arrived in reasonable amount of time and in condition as stated. Thank you guys.

I don't own this bargain priced CD set. And, I don't recall hearing the cello and piano concertos. But the Violin Concerto #3 Opus 61 is one of my favorite classical pieces of music. The Violin Concerto #3 is never boring, it is always dramatic, the musical themes are always melodious, the piece has many emotional elements from soft and dreamy to almost march-like "bravery". I hope you buy this set to listen to the Opus 61. The other peices would be a bonus for you. I believe you won't be disappointed. Email:boland7214@aol.