The sheer attractiveness of Saint-Saëns’s music has ensured its immortality in the canon of French romantic composers. Spanning almost four decades, his five piano concertos vary widely in character but offer some of his most exciting if unorthodox creations, and represent an important evolutionary phase in the French piano concerto. The Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major, widely considered the first by a major French composer, is a youthful and exuberant piece, and the virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor is one of Saint-Saëns’s most popular and frequently performed works in any genre.

“These performances demonstrate a thoroughly “French” sensibility. Romain Descharmes savors the music’s charm and brilliance without indulging in excessive sentimentality. There’s no lack of virtuosity, but also time to savor the music’s many harmonic delights.”

– ClassicsToday.com

The Third Piano Concerto has been considered the ‘Cinderella’ among Camille Saint-Saëns’ five works in this genre, but it owes its comparative neglect to an adventurous approach to harmony which caused unrest in the audience at its première. Daring enough in the first movement, the search for tonality in the second was such an extreme experience that it caused unrest in the audience at its première. Saint-Saëns also composed for piano and orchestra in more rhapsodic forms, exploring folk tunes and rhythms from Africa, and revealing his playful side in the charming Wedding Cake Waltz.

“Romain Descharmes’s playing has a lot of clarity, it is richly detailed and vivid. He can count on Marc Soustrot’s competent conducting at the helm of the excellent Malmö Symphony.”

– Pizzicato ★★★★★