He is underrated probably because he took ultraconsrvative positions at a time when the Fra=ench music became so original with composers such as Frack on one hand, Chabrier and Bizet on the other had - not speaking of Debussy.
In addition you must also add his violin sonata, his piano trios and many other chamber ensemble works, his spinning wheel and dance macabre, the Samson and Delilah. Many songs He is top of the league from the very famous boys. See the list he wrote in his 87 years.
I really don't mean to start anything, but Philip Makin, saint saens is definitely not underrated. He is probably one of the most famous composers around (always remember the swan)
True he is famous, but only for some of his works, maybe a handful of pieces. But there is so much that is never heard, such as this piece and so many other pieces that are of equal quality and beauty- It is difficult to hear his works in the concert hall, at least in the US. Much beautiful and distinctive music to be re-discovered. thanks!
Precisely. Other than the Havanaise, Introd. & Rondo Capriccioso, Organ Symphony, Cello Concerto, and perhaps 2 or 3 others, the vast majority of compositions by the masterful Saint Saens rarely are played in concerts by major symphony orchestras and soloists, and it is a true shame.
@@lsmart i'm still waiting for a decent version of his 2nd piano concerto. Doesnt seem to exist. Either the pianists are too young, (they like it because it's technically challenging but lack the intention) or the orchestra is barely in rythm. I think he's not easily accessible, especially because of the rythm complexities, so some of his pieces wont be played.
@@FanGali I have tried to compile playlists for all the great composers that provide a comprehensive list of their compositions. For each piece I listen to most of the RU-vid recordings and choose one or two of the best performances thereof. For the Saint Saens 2nd Piano Concerto, I selected 2 great but highly contrasting performances: the thrillingly fast Gilels/Cluytens recording (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XmBYUsF8mDE.html), and the late Rubinstein's much more elegant and laid-back video recording with Previn and the LSO (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tVCvJZtzkqQ.html). Just to be sure, I reheard them and found them both to be extraordinary from both the soloist and orchestra perspectives. What say you? Do you find these to be less than satisfying as well?
@@lsmart thx man, i had not heard those ones. :) Gilel's version is impressive. Too bad we barely hear the orchestra. I like Rubinstein on the 1st movement, but less on the third. My favorite for 3rd movement remains Sokolov's (because the piano is clean and the orchestra follows perfectly)> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sentB_7U7yY.html (the picture lies, he was actually 16 or 17 years old). I'd love Sokolov to make a retake version of this today. ^^
List of works by Camille Saint- may be found under Wikipedia though I do agree that much of this stuff is not played that often and the same old Beethoven, Brahms and Mendelssohn is churned out continuously. For instance, why do violinists keep playing the Baruch 1 and leave out the other two - just as good too. Banging my head against wall time.
Thanks to " Full 1600 " here are the performers again : Ulf Hoelscher, violin. Ralph Kirschbaum, cello (7). New Philharmonia Orchestra, Pierre Devraux.
Merciiiiiii magnifique !Un bemol : pourquoi la plupart du temps les interprètes ne sont pas cités sur RU-vid ? Une artiste professionnelle qui s'indigne de ce mépris supplémentaire infligé aux artistes. Schubert, Mozart, etc, en ont su quelque chose...
Celui qui a mis la video a bien écrit un commentaire dans lequel il site les interprètes. Un commentaire qui date d'il y a 5 ans et qui se trouve tout en haut de la zone de commentaire. Dans le cas où tu ne le trouve pas, ce qui m'étonnera, le voici "Ulf Hoelscher, violin. Ralph Kirschbaum, cello (7). New Philharmonia Orchestra, Pierre Devraux." De rien.
inclined to think that 1860s-1880s was CSS' peak; 1890s-1915 a lull in inspiration; and then some good stuff again in his final years; but...performances make a difference too. this is probably a better recording than the one I have somewhere of this piece, which I think was composed 1910. still not great. compare the little exotic touches in CSS' 1870s music to Africa piano concerto in 1890s and one might think he lost his gift for writing like that. never quite programmatic writing (even though he did one of the first film scores) but almost has such an appeal. discovered recently online a set of CSS's solo piano music: from op.3 to op.169; fills in a lot of gaps; the postman may have a pleasant surprise for me in the near future. never cared much for the piano concertos, though; chamber music and his 'concert pieces (that aren't quite concertos)' amongst the highlights (for me)
