Good point; but from a musicological perspective the Fourth *Vastly* exceeds all the other 4 concerti. Themes, transitions, harmonic modulations, orchestration, interpolated rhythmic variations and so on. IMHO (but as a pianist who has played all 5, the Second and Fifth with orchestras in concert,) the Second is beautiful and exciting, the Fifth "charming" an nuanced, but for a showpiece virtuoso Piano CONCERT, nothing else of Saint-Saens approaches the mastery and technique, structure and harmony of the Fourth.
Un concerto parmi ses plus aboutis, le final est absolument éblouissant, un pianiste hors normes soutenu par un chef et un orchestre de renommée mondiale, de quoi entrer en lévitation, de quoi avoir l'émotion en chair de poule et les larmes au bord des yeux, ces yeux fermés pour mieux encore ressentir le plaisir de cette musique, merci merci merci pour avoir mis cette oeuvre et cette magnifique interprétation en ligne !!!
I also don't understand why this concerto is rarely performed. I heard it once played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl about twenty five years ago. I do not remember the pianist.
Because the concerto especially the last movement is notoriously difficult to perform. The octaves that close the concerto require pinpoint accuracy. They are of a magnitude comparable to the famous octave passage in the Liszt Sonata.
+Murray Aronson I agree with both you and Eric Schaefer. I consider this one of Saint-Saens' greatest works, fully the complement to his Organ Symphony.
