Fanny Clamagirand & Vanya Cohen - Saint-Saëns: Music for Violin and Piano, Vol. 1-2 (2013)

Tracklist

Saint-Saëns: Music for Violin and Piano, Vol. 1
01. Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: I. Allegro agitato -
02. Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: I. Adagio
03. Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: II. Allegretto moderato -
04. Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 75: II. Allegro molto
05. Berceuse in B-Flat Major, Op. 38
06. Elegie in F Major, Op. 160
07. Elegie in D Major, Op. 143
08. Sarabande
09. Sarabande et rigaudon, Op. 93 (version for violin and piano): Rigaudon
10. Romance in D-Flat Major, Op. 37 (version for violin and piano)
11. L'air de la pendule in A Minor
12. Triptyque in D Major, Op. 136: I. Premice
13. Triptyque in D Major, Op. 136: II. Vision Congolaise
14. Triptyque in D Major, Op. 136: III. Joyeusete

“I like nothing better than chamber music,” Saint-Saëns once wrote to a violinist friend and, indeed, he did much to promote the genre in Paris during the second half of the 19th century. Prominent among his works for violin and piano is the technically challenging 1885 Violin Sonata No 1 which balances passion with clarity. The Triptyque of 1912 shows his mastery of melody, rhythm and metre, and elsewhere in this first volume one finds numerous examples of his instinct for charm and characterisation.

Saint-Saëns: Music for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2
01. Suite in D Minor, Op. 16: I. Prelude
02. Suite in D Minor, Op. 16: II. Serenade
03. Suite in D Minor, Op. 16: III. Scherzo
04. Suite in D Minor, Op. 16: IV. Romance
05. Suite in D Minor, Op. 16: V. Finale
06. Romance in C Major, Op. 48 (version for violin and piano)
07. Sonate inachevee: I. Allegro vivace
08. Sonate inachevee: II. Scherzo (Allegro)
09. Meditation
10. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: I. Poco allegro piu tosto moderato
11. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: II. Scherzo. Vivace
12. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: III. Andante
13. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 102: IV. Allegro grazioso, non presto
14. Carnival of the Animals: XIII. The Swan (version for violin and piano)

Saint-Saëns’s early unfinished Violin Sonata is testimony to his remarkable precocity as a child. His music’s universal appeal is demonstrated in adaptations of his Bach influenced Suite, Op 16, the gracious Romance, Op 48 and one of his most famous pieces Le cygne (The Swan). The Second Violin Sonata follows classical forms, while the Méditation is notable for an affecting melody that builds beautifully to an intimate conclusion. Volume 1 can be heard on Naxos 8.572750. Acclaim for Fanny Clamagirand’s playing includes her “brilliant advocacy” of Saint-Saëns’s three Violin Concertos. (Strings Magazine on 8.572037)

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac] vol 1

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac] vol 2