Suite for Cello and Piano (Saint-Saëns)

Suite

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.
Find sources: "Suite for Cello and Piano" Saint-Saëns – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2016)

The Suite for Cello and Piano, Op. 16, was written by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1866. This work is considered the launching point of the composer's career.

Structure

The piece is written in the form of a suite with five movements:

Prélude: Moderato assai
Sérénade: Andantino
Scherzo: Allegro grazioso
Romance: Adagio
Finale: Allegro con brio

The end of the finale contains a recapitulation of the prelude, typical of a serenade. In fact, the work bears a close resemblance to Antonín Dvořák's String Serenade.

Orchestrated version

This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (November 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Saint-Saëns' interest in this piece was revived in 1919. Cellist Joseph Hollmann, for whom the Second Cello Concerto was written, encouraged Saint-Saëns to orchestrate this suite of five pieces. However, the composer felt that the Scherzo and Finale were too pianistic to be orchestrated, and eventually came to a decision to replace the two movements with a Gavotte and a Tarantelle, respectively. The Gavotte, originally written in G minor, was transposed into D minor upon orchestration. The Romance already existed in orchestrated form because the composer once took the movement from the original suite and transcribed it for horn, for Henri Chaussier, though he modified it once again with different orchestration for the suite. The orchestrated version was published by J. Hamelle in 1920.

Recordings

Cello and piano

Roger Drinkall (cello) and Dian Baker (piano)
Christoph Henkel (cello) and Hüseyin Sermet (piano)
Maria Kliegel (cello) and François-Joël Thiollier (piano)
Luigi Piovano (cello) and Luisa Prayer (piano)
Lucia Swarts (cello) and Leo van Doeselaar (piano)

Cello and orchestra

Steven Isserlis (cello) and Christoph Eschenbach conducting the NDR Symphony Orchestra)
Maria Kliegel (cello) and Jean-François Monnard conducting the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Mischa Maisky (cello) and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Johannes Moser (cello) and Fabrice Bollon conducting the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
Christine Walevska (cello) and Eliahu Inbal conducting the Orchestra National de Monte-Carlo)

References

Saint-Saëns, Camille, The Complete Shorter Works for Cello and Piano ed. Isserlis. An introduction by Sabina Teller Ratner, 2.

External links

Cello Suite, Op. 16: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Camille Saint-Saëns

List of compositions

Operas

Le timbre d'argent (1865)
La princesse jaune (1872)
Samson and Delilah (1877)
- "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix"
Étienne Marcel (1879)
Henry VIII (1883)
Proserpine (1887)
Ascanio (1890)
Phryné (1893)
Frédégonde (1895)
Les barbares (1901)
Hélène (1904)
L'ancêtre (1905)
Déjanire (1911)

Symphonies

Symphony No. 1 (1853)
Symphony in F major (Urbs Roma) (1856)
Symphony No. 2 (1859)
Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony) (1886)

Concertos

Piano	Piano Concerto No. 1 (1858) Piano Concerto No. 2 (1868) Piano Concerto No. 3 (1869) Piano Concerto No. 4 (1875) Africa (1891) Piano Concerto No. 5 (The Egyptian) (1896)
Other	Violin Concerto No. 2 (1858) Violin Concerto No. 1 (1859) Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863) Cello Suite (1866) Cello Concerto No. 1 (1872) Violin Concerto No. 3 (1880) Havanaise (1887) Cello Concerto No. 2 (1902) Organ Concerto (Cyprès et lauriers) (1919)