French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie and Edward Gardner now explore with the BBC Philharmonic the exciting 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 capture these unusual and exiting works.
While the spirited, unconventional Concerto No. 1 centers around 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.
Here is Louis Lortie in the opening of the concerto #2 by Camille Saint-Saens:
