Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Tapiola Sinfonietta :: Camille Saint-Saëns: The Two Cello Concertos; Romance for cello & orchestra; Symphony in A major

Saint-Saëns's lovely First Cello Concerto is probably the only work on this disc most listeners are familiar with. The second, written after the turn of the century (1902), is somewhat more severe but also rewarding. The composer's famous Third Symphony is actually his fifth; this recording contains the first, a skillful if slight piece by a very gifted 20-year-old. The short Romance provides a charming interlude. Thedéen is an excellent cellist, and all the music is intimate enough in scale that Kantarow and his fine chamber orchestra can handle it with complete aplomb. Fine recorded sound. --Paul Turok