Credits:

Albeniz / Roscoe / BBC Philharmonic / Mena

Description:

Saint-Saens' five piano concertos are brilliant works, each with a high degree of technical difficulty and experimental ingenuity, as Saint-Saens himself was an excellent pianist. The third movement is a masterpiece of the mid-period, with the opening part in which the horns play an extended melody over beautiful piano chords, the second movement characterized by fluid harmony, and the third movement with a humorous atmosphere (later arranged into a solo version for the examination at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris). This is a masterpiece of the middle period. Also included is the "African Fantasy" from Riku Onda's popular novel "Honeybee and Thunder", which won the Naoki Prize. Recorded in 2015 by Roman Descharmes (piano)/Malmö Symphony Orchestra/Marc Sustro (conductor). (C)RS