Camille Saint-Saens

Louis Lortie (piano) & BBC Philharmonic, Edward Gardner

Having already mastered such French concertos as Poulenc’s on record, the French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie and Edward Gardner now explore with the BBC Philharmonic the vigorous and progressive world of Camille Saint-Saëns, offering the first of two volumes to contain his complete piano concertos. The brilliance, virtuosity, and technical perfection of Louis Lortie’s playing encapsulate these unusual, yet exhilarating works. While the spirited, unconventional Concerto No. 1 centres round a slow movement consisting of a dialogue between the sober orchestra and virtuosic piano, the technical requirements of No. 2 are so high that Saint-Saëns himself after its premiere admitted that his fluent technique was not quite up to the challenge. Finally, the unusual form and mixed musical ideas of No. 4 make for a uniquely dramatic, passionate, and dream-like experience.

Saint-Saëns:
 Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major Op. 17
 Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
 Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44

"Passionately delivered, with a personality all of its own, outstandingly produced and engineered, this is a release to relish. Concertos 3 and 5 eagerly awaited."
classicalsource.com - November 2018

"Lortie proves excellently skilled in the necessary arts for these concertos. He can chatter and twinkle for bars on end, sculpt phrases, and produce splendid decorative flourishes. Orchestral beauties start right away with the lively First concerto’s opening horn call and echo…Throughout, Lortie and orchestra prove a good team, nimble and bright, bouncing with virtuoso bravado."
BBC Music Magazine - November 2018 ***