I. Andante sostenuto
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) left a significant mark on French culture through his compositions, performances, and writings. Dubbed by his musical predecessor Charles Gounod as the “Beethoven of France,” Saint-Saëns displayed prodigious talent from an early age, beginning piano lessons at 2 ½, composing at 3, and making his concert debut at 10, where he performed piano concertos by L.V. Beethoven and W.A. Mozart. His contemporaries, F. Liszt and H. Berlioz, acclaimed him as “the world's greatest organist” and “an absolutely shattering master pianist” respectively. Initially a proponent of contemporary music akin to the New German School of Liszt and Wagner, Saint-Saëns gradually embraced a distinctive conservatism towards the more radical musical developments of the turn of the 20th century. Additionally, he played a role in revitalizing interest in the works of older composers such as Bach, Handel, and Mozart.
Saint-Saëns’s blends old and new compositional approaches. His Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, composed and premiered in 1868, serves as a striking illustration of this innovative fusion. Departing from the conventional fast-slow-fast movement structure of a concerto, Saint-Saëns strays from traditional expectations by commencing with a solo cadenza in a slow Andante sostenuto tempo. The introductory fantasia, reminiscent of a Bach toccata, crescendos into a brief, thunderous G minor orchestral interlude. Following this, the piano introduces an expressive main theme, borrowed from his student, Gabriel Fauré. A delicate, dolce second theme provides contrast to the darker main theme before transitioning into a progressively animated central section characterized by intricate melodies and virtuosic runs. Concluding the movement, the solo piano revisits various themes and motives in a cadenza before reintroducing the opening theme with a dramatic closure.