Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
The Piano Concertos Vol. 1
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 17 (1858) [27:03]
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 (1868) [24:34]
Allegro appassionato, Op. 70 (version for piano and orchestra) (1884) [6:45]
Romain Descharmes (piano)
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/Marc Soustrot
rec. 8 & 9 June 2015, Malmö Concert Hall, Malmö, Sweden
Reviewed as a 24/96 download from
Qobuz
Pdf booklet included
NAXOS 8.573476
[58:22]
Camille SAINT-SAËNS
The Piano Concertos Vol. 2
Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 29 (1869) [28:27]
Rhapsodie d'Auvergne, Op. 73 (1884) [10:33]
Africa, Op. 89 (1889-1891) [11:25]
Caprice-Valse, Op. 76, ‘Wedding Cake’ (1886) [6:51]
Romain Descharmes (piano)
Malmö Symphony Orchestra/Marc Soustrot
rec. 10-12 June 2015, Malmö Concert Hall, Malmö, Sweden
Reviewed as a 24/96 download from
eClassical
Pdf booklet included
NAXOS 8.573477
[57:16]
Naxos have hit on a good formula with their Saint-Saëns orchestral and
concerto cycles, which feature the Malmö Symphony Orchestra under their
chief conductor Marc Soustrot. And although they face stiff competition on
both fronts, there’s always room for more of this moreish music. My
benchmark for these concertos and other pieces for piano and orchestra is
the splendid Stephen Hough set from
Hyperion,
with Sakari Oramo and the CBSO in rapt attendance. That said, if
Louis Schwizgebel
goes for the full house – to date he’s only recorded the second and fifth
concertos – he could be a strong contender too. Indeed, that album was one
of my top picks for 2016.
The French pianist Romain Descharmes, who made his debut with the
Orchestre de Paris in 2012, is new to me, but I see Brian Reinhart
praised him for his ‘sensitive and polished’ accompaniment in Tianwa
Yang’s account of the Mendelssohn Violin Sonata in F minor (Naxos 8.572662). Those are qualities that should stand him in good
stead here. As for the Malmö band, I shall always be indebted to them
for their authentic Ives with James Sinclair (Naxos 8.559353).
Saint-Saëns’s Op. 17, which dates from 1858, has the distinction of being
the first piano concerto written by a major French composer. And what a
magical thing it is, the gorgeous horn calls and animated piano giving it a
truly Romantic feel. I’ve never understood why Saint-Saëns’s contributions
to the genre have never been played or recorded as often as those of his
German contemporaries. As for Descharmes and Soustrot, they’re clearly on
the same page, working together to unleash the joie de vivre that
permeates this delightful piece. The spirited orchestral playing and the
warm, very engaging sound only add to one’s sense of pleasure.
There’s much to be said for total immersion in a given project, and the
fact that these concertos were all recorded within a few days of each other
must surely bind these performers to the music in a way that those made
over months or years cannot do. Consistency is the keynote here, from
natural phrasing and well-judged tempi to believable balances and the kind
of caught-on-the-wing music-making that one associates more with live
concerts than studio sessions. And how individual these concertos are,
Descharmes just as adept in the stern, rather Brahmsian passages of Op. 22
as he is in its Puckish Allegro scherzando and freewheeling finale.
The vivacious little Allegro appassionato, probably best known in
its solo-piano form, is the perfect coda to this barnstorming programme.
For a number of reasons Saint-Saëns’s second and third concertos, composed
just a year apart, didn’t do well at their premieres. The latter, the least
recorded of the five, certainly has an imposing mien that sets it apart
from its predecessors. Some of the sonorities are startling, and Soustrot,
alive to such shifts, makes the most of them. Descharmes is equally
receptive, those unsettling chords and dark harmonies exploited to the
full. Indeed, it’s not difficult to hear why this concerto is less popular
than the others, but this committed, strongly characterised performance
should win it a raft of new friends.
The fillers are a mix of the rare and the instantly recognisable. The
folksong-centred Rhapsodie d'Auvergne, which belongs in the first
category, really deserves to be better known. The piano part – wistful, the
past half-remembered – is pure delight, thanks to the affectionate,
unmannered way in which it’s delivered. A hidden gem, this. Africa,
which draws on the composer’s travels on that continent, is not short of
sparkle, either. Even though I know the piece well, nothing prepared me for
Descharmes’ superb control of the work’s distinctive syncopations. And if
that weren’t praise enough, he despatches the ‘Wedding Cake’ waltz with
true Gallic charm.
Such is the stature of these performances that it seems almost perverse to
compare them with those of Hough/Oramo. As expected, it’s more a case of
swings and roundabouts than chalk and cheese. The CBSO are in fine fettle
throughout and, like his rival, Oramo is very much at ease here. As for
Hough, he’s a big, more flamboyant performer, with a sound to match. That
said, Descharmes has a special way with this music that’s really quite
liberating. Yes, Hough still reigns supreme, but given the quality of this
emerging cycle he could be about to lose his crown.
A winning partnership in every way; roll on Volume 3!
Dan Morgan
MusicWeb reviews of orchestral Saint-Saëns (Malmö SO/Soustrot)
Volume 1
–
Volume 2
–
Volume 3
