Customer Reviews

Saint-Saëns: The Romantic Violin Concerto Vol. 1 - The Three Violin Concertos

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For years I thought of the Saint-Saens Third Violin Concerto as "easy listening." Dramatic, sometimes passionate in its first movement, sweetly soothing in its second, and rousing in its third. In other words, a good emotional payback from a work that didn't require too much input on the listener's part.

Then along came the present performance and...wow did my impression of the piece change! No, it still doesn't furrow my brow, but suddenly it appears as a work of far more psychological, emotional, and formal complexity than I had heretofore realized. Best of all, the performers don't give an overwrought interpretation by trying to impose something on the music, but rather find more details and subtlety in the music than any other performers I've heard.

Graffin's tone, a bit thinner than I would like, sounds genuinely Gallic, and the orchestral accompaniment is positively luminous.

And let me not forget the companion pieces, music in Saint-Saens most felicitously lyrical vein. Who knows? Maybe some day a performance will reveal unearthed depths there as well.

This release is quite on par with others in the Hyperion line, following well in the footsteps of the Romantic Piano Concerto Series. The performances are good - somewhat understated, but in no way offensive or lame. A good, solid job by soloist and orchestra. Sound is in line with the usual from this source - very good but not outstanding (my reference point for outstanding orchaestral sonics is BIS). Those wanting all three works on a single disc would do very well by this release. Recommended.

Philippe Graffin's pleasing violin-tone is very effective in these concerto. The natural recording balance allows him to revel in the expert construction of Saint-Saëns' three violin concertos.

The Violin Concerto No. 2 in C, Op. 58 was actually written first (in 1858 but published much later). It is a testimony to the consistent musical maturity of its about 23-year old composer.

The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A, Op. 20 was written a year later in 1859. It is a single movement in the fashion of Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1, with three sections strung together most engagingly. The middle section of the concerto is given much feeling by Graffin. (The three sections are tracked separately.)

The Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61, written in 1880, is naturally the most mature work on the disc, but is no less full of life or the ability to please. The final tarantella movement is particularly absorbing.

Overall, this is a disc of considerable character and charm, demonstrating the immense skill of the music's performers and composer marvelously. They are given excellent sound by Hyperion, which also obliges with thorough liner notes. This is an enjoyable must for the Saint-Saëns fan.

Given the success of its Romantic Piano Concerto series Hyperion apparently decided to launch a romantic violin concerto series as well. To paraphrase David Hurwitz, it is a slightly more problematic proposition overall, for while any decent composer (or pianist) in the nineteenth century seems to have been able to rattle off a decent piano concerto (throw in some flashy brilliance and the result will likely be listenable and enjoyable, even if it would usually be some distance away from a masterpiece), violin concertos seem harder to pull off successfully. Of course, the violin concertos of Camille Saint-Saëns are relatively safe bets in that respect.

In fact, none of Saint-Saëns's violin concertos are unqualified masterpieces, not even the popular third. The first is a short work of 15 minutes. Penned in 1859 it is a relatively introvert piece (at least compared to many of its overly virtuosic contemporaries) and a very pleasing one with some fine themes, definitely worth hearing if not ultimately a masterpiece. It is a stronger work than the much more ambitious second concerto, which was actually written a year before. The second is rather conservative compared to what Saint-Saëns was doing at the time in other formats, and not knowing it from any previous encounters I was surprised at the heavy-handedness of both the thematic material and the scoring. There are some finely written virtuoso passages, and while the music may be worth a listen it remains one of Saint-Saëns's less completely successful works.

The third concerto (1880) is a different matter. At the same full-length scale as the second, this time the material is at least consistently interesting - not only the wonderful big tune in the finale - and it is developed with skill, taste, and imagination. The performances are overall very compelling; Graffin's solo playing is warmly beautiful, finely phrased but sinewy and expressive in the more dramatic passages as well, though perhaps a little bit away from being ideally full-blooded. He is excellently accompanied by Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (some wonderful woodwind playing in particular), and the sound is good - indeed, it is interesting to hear what the third concerto sounds like (beautiful) when the soloist is actually well integrated in the total sound picture; other versions I have heard treats the work rather like a vehicle for showcasing the soloists (though I have by no means heard that many versions), and listening to this Hyperion recording, with all the added colors and textures, is rather illuminating - though the effect is in part also that the romantic sensuousness of the music is underlined, and some listeners may prefer a slightly more restrained classical approach. Overall a welcome release, very much worth investigating (though had Hyperion chosen to divide up the concertos on separate discs they could have had two installments given Saint-Saëns's other works for violin and orchestra).

Violin Concerto No. #3 by Saint-Saens is among the top three of my all time favorite list in terms of Violin Concerto. I am familiar with every movement of the work. I purchased this CD based on reading couple of previous reviews by others. I listened to it right after received the shipment from Amazon. I am not a musician and really don't know the violinist (forgive me), however, I have to be honest, based on my taste, the performance was way too romantic and in my own opinion might went overboard, too many high notes and changes to the original work. Please forgive me for the honest opinion. But, I am kind of disappointed to the purchase.

Saint-Saëns: The Romantic Violin Concerto Vol. 1 - The Three Violin Concertos is a 1998 Hyperion Records Limited recording starring violinist Philippe Graffin. One also gets to hear the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Martyn Brabbins. Duncan Druce has written the music notes. The pace of the music is perfect and the performance by Mr Graffin is outstanding. Highly recommended. 5/5.

Beautifully Played and orchestrated...Now one of my favorite recordings, first heard some of the movements on Pandora...had to have it...I hope everyone else will enjoy this cd as much as I do.

For years I thought of the Saint-Saens Third Violin Concerto as "easy listening." Dramatic, sometimes passionate in its first movement, sweetly soothing in its second, and rousing in its third. In other words, a good emotional payback from a work that didn't require too much input on the listener's part.

Then along came the present performance and...wow did my impression of the piece change! No, it still doesn't furrow my brow, but suddenly it appears as a work of far more psychological, emotional, and formal complexity than I had heretofore realized. Best of all, the performers don't give an overwrought interpretation by trying to impose something on the music, but rather find more details and subtlety in the music than any other performers I've heard.

Graffin's tone, a bit thinner than I would like, sounds genuinely Gallic, and the orchestral accompaniment is positively luminous.

And let me not forget the companion pieces, music in Saint-Saens most felicitously lyrical vein. Who knows? Maybe some day a performance will reveal unearthed depths there as well.