Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 | Mischa Maisky, Gábor Takács-Nagy & Verbier Festival Orchestra

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It is one of the most famous cello concertos of the 19th century. Camille Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33, is catchy and unforgettable. The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and sought-after cellist Mischa Maisky perform under the direction of Hungarian conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy. The concert took place on July 27, 2015 at the renowned Verbier Festival in the Swiss Alps.

(00:00) Coming on stage
(00:33) I. Allegro non troppo
(05:57) II. Allegretto con moto
(10:56) III. Molto allegro

VERBIER FESTIVAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY | Conductor
MISCHA MAISKY | Cello

The French pianist, conductor, musicologist, and composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) is still known today for his "great zoological fantasy," the "Carnival of the Animals," as well as his opera "Samson and Dalila". But his Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33, is also an integral part of the great cello virtuosos' repertoire, and is not only popular with audiences, but also has a number of unusual qualities.

There are indeed three movements in this cello concerto from 1872, but the work is actually one continuous movement in which each individual movement merges into the next. This was unusual for Camille Saint-Saëns, who was one of the more traditional composers of the Romantic period, adhering to traditional concerto forms. Moreover, he peppered the third movement of his cello concerto with complicated solo parts in all of the cello's registers. He dedicated the work to the French cellist and viola da gamba player Auguste Tolbecque. It was he who premiered the work in Paris in January 1873.

In its wake, many of his contemporaries considered Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33, to be the greatest cello concerto of all time. It paved Saint-Saëns' way into French musical society. In addition to the merging of individual movements, another special feature of the Cello Concerto is that the composer does not begin with an orchestral introduction, as is customary, and the solo instrument comes in later.

The orchestra plays only a single chord, and the cello enters in immediately and forcefully. The first movement feels like a dialog between cello and orchestra. The second movement opens turbulently and ends in a minuet. In the third movement, motifs from the first movement are taken up and reworked with new themes. In this way, all three movements come together.

Born in Riga in 1948, when it was still part of the Soviet Union, Mischa Maisky is a highly sought-after cellist. He studied with both the great cello virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich and also with Gregor Piatigorsky. At the time, Rostropovich said he was "one of the most extraordinary talents of the younger generation.

His playing combines poetry and exquisite delicacy with great temperament and brilliant technique." Today, the cellist sees himself as a citizen of the world through and through: "I play an Italian cello, with French and German bows and Austrian and German strings, my 6 children were born in 4 different countries, my second wife is half Sri Lankan – half Italian... I feel at home wherever people enjoy and appreciate classical music." Mischa Maisky has played with the world's most prestigious orchestras and received numerous awards.

© 2015 EuroArts Music International/Idéale Audience

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