Antony Gray - Camille Saint-Saëns: Works for Piano, Vol. 1 (2022)

Saint-Saëns excelled as a composer, conductor, pianist and organist – his composition output is enormous, reaching over 160 titles of which many are substantial – operas, ballets, symphonies – yet today much of his work remains neglected and he is known by a few works only: the Organ Symphony, Samson et Dalila, Danse Macabre and Carnival of the Animals. His original piano pieces are generally light ‘salon’ works but are nonetheless delightful and well formed. His major contribution to the piano works is the equally neglected body of transcriptions (of his own works and those of others) where he was sadly eclipsed by the more outgoing and promotion-minded Franz Liszt. This album and its companion include a number of first recordings, introducing a large body of keyboard gems to a new audience. Volume 1 is divided into two sections: transcriptions from Opera and Ballet, and pieces inspired by specific places.

Tracklist
Disc 1 (01:17:12)
1. Javotte, R. 306 (Version for Piano Solo)[Excerpts]: I. Bourree (02:13)
2. Javotte, R. 306 (Version for Piano Solo)[Excerpts]: II. Scene et valse lente (04:39)
3. Javotte, R. 306 (Version for Piano Solo)[Excerpts]: III. Pas de deux (01:56)
4. Javotte, R. 306 (Version for Piano Solo)[Excerpts]: IV. Allegretto - Allegro non troppo presto (02:43)
5. Caprice sur les airs de ballet d'Alceste de Gluck (13:22)
6. Ascanio, R. 293: Scene du mendiant (Excerpts Arr. for Piano Solo) (06:00)
7. Ascanio, R. 293: Danse de l'amour (Excerpts Arr. for Piano Solo) (02:49)
8. Valse du "Le prophète" (After Meyerbeer) (06:58)
9. Henry VIII, R. 291 (Excerpts Arr. for Piano Solo) (07:30)
10. Paraphrase sur Mandolinata (After Paladilhe) (04:37)
11. Proserpine, R. 292: Prelude to Act II (Excerpts Arr. P. Bellenot for Piano Solo) (01:55)
12. Proserpine, R. 292: Pavane (Excerpts Arr. P. Bellenot for Piano Solo) (01:39)
13. La mort de Thais (After Massenet) (10:27)
14. Scherzo sur "Les pecheurs de perles" (After Bizet) (10:24)

Disc 2 (01:10:52)
1. Suite algérienne, Op. 60, R. 173: IV. Marche militaire française (04:41)
2. Suite algérienne, Op. 60, R. 173: III. Rêverie du soir (04:29)
3. Lola, Op. 116, R. 329: Tango (04:47)
4. Élégie, Op. 160, R. 145 (05:46)
5. Rhasodie d'Auvergne, Op. 73 (Version for Piano Solo) (10:28)
6. Bénédiction nuptiale, Op. 9, R. 80 (05:30)
7. Une nuite a Lisbonne, Op. 63, R. 175 (04:42)
8. Souvenir d'Italie, Op. 80, R. 40 (09:21)
9. Paraphrase sur "Las Islena" (After Paladilhe) (06:56)
10. Fantasie sur l'hymne national russe (After A. Lwoff) (01:57)
11. Africa, Op. 89, R. 204 (Version for Solo Piano) (12:15)