Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Martyn Brabbins, Glasgow BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra :: Saint-Saëns: The Romantic Violin Concerto Vol. 1 - The Three Violin Concertos

Good Performance, Decent Sound

Eric J. Matluck | 11/02/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This release is quite on par with others in the Hyperion line, following well in the footsteps of the Romantic Piano Concerto Series. The performances are good - somewhat understated, but in no way offensive or lame. A good, solid job by soloist and orchestra. Sound is in line with the usual from this source - very good but not outstanding (my reference point for outstanding orchaestral sonics is BIS). Those wanting all three works on a single disc would do very well by this release. Recommended."

A thinking man's Saint-Saens

Eric J. Matluck | 04/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For years I thought of the Saint-Saens Third Violin Concerto as "easy listening." Dramatic, sometimes passionate in its first movement, sweetly soothing in its second, and rousing in its third. In other words, a good emotional payback from a work that didn't require too much input on the listener's part.Then along came the present performance and...wow did my impression of the piece change! No, it still doesn't furrow my brow, but suddenly it appears as a work of far more psychological, emotional, and formal complexity than I had heretofore realized. Best of all, the performers don't give an overwrought interpretation by trying to impose something on the music, but rather find more details and subtlety in the music than any other performers I've heard.Graffin's tone, a bit thinner than I would like, sounds genuinely Gallic, and the orchestral accompaniment is positively luminous.And let me not forget the companion pieces, music in Saint-Saens most felicitously lyrical vein. Who knows? Maybe some day a performance will reveal unearthed depths there as well."

Delicious Music from a French Composer and a French Violinis

Aronne | 02/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Philippe Graffin's pleasing violin-tone is very effective in these concerto. The natural recording balance allows him to revel in the expert construction of Saint-Saëns' three violin concertos.



The Violin Concerto No. 2 in C, Op. 58 was actually written first (in 1858 but published much later). It is a testimony to the consistent musical maturity of its about 23-year old composer.



The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A, Op. 20 was written a year later in 1859. It is a single movement in the fashion of Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1, with three sections strung together most engagingly. The middle section of the concerto is given much feeling by Graffin. (The three sections are tracked separately.)



The Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61, written in 1880, is naturally the most mature work on the disc, but is no less full of life or the ability to please. The final tarantella movement is particularly absorbing.



Overall, this is a disc of considerable character and charm, demonstrating the immense skill of the music's performers and composer marvelously. They are given excellent sound by Hyperion, which also obliges with thorough liner notes. This is an enjoyable must for the Saint-Saëns fan."