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Saint-Saëns: Complete Sonatas (1)

Saint-Saëns: Complete Sonatas (1)
Composer Camille Saint-Saëns
Artist Mauro Tortorelli violin
Angela Meluso piano
Andrea Favalessa cello
Maria Semeraro piano
Akanè Makita piano
Soloists of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome
Format 3 CD
Cat. number 97625
EAN code 5028421976259
Release April 2025

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About this release

A unique collection of the instrumental sonatas by Saint-Saëns, in recent and critically praised Italian recordings.
The perfection of Saint-Saëns’s craftsmanship and the Gallic grace of his seemingly inexhaustible melodic muse were evident from early on in his career, composing as he did in childhood. No less evident was his faith in traditional forms such as the sonata. The works compiled here were composed over the course of half a century, during which time the world and musical culture evolved radically. Saint-Saëns evolved too, but only according to the principles to which he held faith – in tonality, in melodic elegance – throughout his long life and career.
In fact the composer was already 37 when he wrote the earliest piece here, the First Cello Sonata, in 1872. It does not seek to emulate the crowd-pleasing brilliance or wit of many of his best-known works but instead plots a dark, dramatic and often Beethovenian course through the conventional three-movement span. Compiling these sonatas in this way helps us to appreciate how, by the time we reach the First Violin Sonata of 1885, Saint-Saëns had begun to integrate competing imperatives of intensity and elegance.
It is curious that the composer’s later violin and cello sonatas have never achieved the popularity of his initial essays. Indeed, these Brilliant Classics recordings almost have the field to themselves in the catalogue. Yet they are surely underestimated, because Saint-Saëns had an almost endless capacity for reinvention – as he conclusively demonstrated late in life with three-fifths of a planned project to write five sonatas, all for instruments of the woodwind family. The instruments in these three works are scored for by the deft hand of a composer with a lifetime of experience writing for them in orchestral and chamber music settings.

Critical praise for these recordings from Fanfare:
‘Tortorelli and Meluso play [the Triptyque] sensitively; and Tortorelli, employing many idiomatic expressive devices, makes it sound almost sumptuous.’

‘I was impressed with the smooth yet powerful cello sound of Favalessa… Semeraro handles Saint-Saëns’s difficult piano parts with technical assurance and matches the wide range of musical colours in the cello. Their precision ensemble is evident and likely stems from their long collaboration.’

‘The performances here by the Santa Cecilia players cannot be faulted. These are all top-notch musicians who play with fine technique and musical finesse.’

- Camille Saint-Saëns, a virtuoso pianist and prolific composer, enriched the repertoire of sonatas for solo instruments and piano with works characterized by elegance, technical mastery, and lyrical beauty.
- The Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 (1885) stands out as a masterpiece. A tour de force of Romantic expression, it traverses a wide emotional spectrum, from fiery passion to serene introspection. Similarly, his Cello Sonatas balance dramatic intensity with moments of tender lyricism, offering a richly textured dialogue between cello and piano
- Saint-Saëns's sonatas reflect his deep understanding of both solo instruments and piano, often demanding exceptional technical proficiency from the performers. Yet, they remain deeply expressive, rooted in the French tradition of clarity and elegance. His Oboe Sonata, Clarinet Sonata, Flute Sonata, Bassoon Sonata and Horn Sonata, written during his final years, demonstrate a more restrained, intimate style, emphasizing tonal beauty and succinctness.
- Played by Mauro Tortorelli (violin), Andrea Favalessa (cello) and the soloists of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome.
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Track list

Disk 1

  1. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: I. Allegro agitato
  2. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: II. Adagio
  3. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: III. Allegretto moderato
  4. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: IV. Allegro molto
  5. Camille Saint-Saëns: Berceuse in B-Flat Major, Op. 38
  6. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: I. Poco allegro più tosto moderato
  7. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: II. Scherzo. Vivace
  8. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: III. Andante
  9. Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: IV. Allegro grazioso, non presto
  10. Camille Saint-Saëns: Triptyque, Op. 136: I. Prémice
  11. Camille Saint-Saëns: Triptyque, Op. 136: II. Vision congolaise
  12. Camille Saint-Saëns: Triptyque, Op. 136: III. Joyeuseté

Disk 2

  1. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 32: I. Allegro
  2. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 32: II. Andante tranquillo sostenuto
  3. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 32: III. Allegro moderato
  4. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 123: I. Maestosto, largamente
  5. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 123: II. Scherzo con variazioni. Allegro animato
  6. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 123: III. Romanza. Poco adagio
  7. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 123: IV. Allegro non troppo, grazioso

Disk 3

  1. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168: I. Allegretto moderato
  2. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168: II. Allegro scherzando
  3. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168: III. Molto adagio – Allegro moderato
  4. Camille Saint-Saëns: Romance for Horn and Piano, Op. 67: I. Adagio
  5. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Oboe and Piano, Op. 166: I. Andantino
  6. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Oboe and Piano, Op. 166: II. Allegretto
  7. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Oboe and Piano, Op. 166: III. Molto allegro
  8. Camille Saint-Saëns: Romance for Flute and Piano, Op. 37: I. Moderato assai
  9. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 167: I. Allegretto
  10. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 167: II. Allegro animato
  11. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 167: III. Lento
  12. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 167: IV. Molto allegro – Allegretto
  13. Camille Saint-Saëns: Caprice sur des airs Danois et Russes, Op. 79 for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Piano: I. Poco allegro
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