I have had the Roget set for several years and have the Cortot recording of the Fourth concerto, and agree without reservation that Stephan Hough plays remarkably well. He captures the brilliance of these concertos remarkably well. The only drawback of the set is that the Third concerto was recorded at a different venue and has a dryer sound. The added bonus of this set are the shorter pieces Saint Saens wrote for piano and orchestra that were included on this set. For me, this is the set of these concertos to have, and I hope listeners unfamiliar with them will buy it. They do not disappoint.


a welcome recording from Mr. Hough   December 9, 2001
 24 out of 30 found this review helpful

This set might be rare, because most of the Saint-Saens Piano Concertos recordings are played by French pianists (e.g., Pascal Roge, Aldo Ciccolini, Philippe Entremont, Gabriel Tacchino, etc.). This is played by British Stephen Hough, Finissh conductor Sakari Oramo, and British of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra where Simon Rattle has just left.
Here Stephen Hough plays virtuosic passages (but actually very simple and somewhat musically shallow on score) extremely fluently with such neatness, even compared with well-equipped Pascal Roge on Decca. In particular, his now-famous martellato playing (very rapid exchanges of octaves or chords by both hands) as in the finale of the second concerto or in the finale of the fifth concerto is simply breathtaking. He is almost a superhuman with extremely flexible wrists. Also in the second movement of the fifth concerto, he creates very interesting sounds (which I cannot quite describe) in those exotic passages.
I have a few complaints, though. First of all, the recorded sound of piano here is a little bit strange in my opinion. Orchestra sounds very clear and vivid, but only piano sounds somewhat distant and monotonous, like in the midst of the crowd. Second, Mr. Hough sounds sometimes a bit too neat or emotionally detached in the Michel Legrand-like sweet melodies like in the first movement of the fifth concerto. He could have used much more rubatos and pedals to add more colors without losing modesty, like Alfred Cortot's the fourth concertos.
Still, this set is recommended as I enjoyed his deftness throughout the whole concertos.


Brilliantissimo   November 26, 2001
 19 out of 19 found this review helpful

The complete Saint-Saens concerti have been recorded few times.
Off the top of my head the only ones I can think of are Jean Collard and Pascal Roge. Stephen Hough's set blows these sets out of sight in terms of quality and quantity. The only drawback is the price, but with these performances, you'll get your money's worth. Take the popular 2nd concerto for example. Have you ever heard the 3rd movement taken as such a pace? Listen to the massive chords at the beginning of the first movement and how small the orchestra sound in comparison when they enter! I expect most people will be wary of paying up when all they want is the 2nd concerto. Worry not, for there are delights to be found in the other works. The first movement of the first concerto, for instance, is delightful. The 'Africa' fantasy is another gem. This joins the other concerto performances of Hough as the top recommendation in their respective repertoire. I eagerly await his recordings of the Rachmaninov Concerti.
There is a David Helfgott CD wrongly titled 'Brilliantissimo'. I assign this title correctly to this set of CDs.


Renaissance Man   April 5, 2006
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

Saint-Saens was a Renaissance man: botany, astronomy, archeology, mathematics, natural history, and philosophy were subjects he participated in throughout his life. He wrote articles, read papers at scientific societies, contributed notes to learned journals on the eclipse of the sun, and published a volume of poetry. Saint-Saens was also a musical child prodigy; began piano lessons at age 2 , at 3 wrote his first composition, and memorized a recital of Mozart and Beethoven concertos, as well as music by Handel, Hummel, and Bach. This CD of piano/orchestral works is a showcase of Saint-Saens' brilliant musical mind, one which was considered old-fashioned by modern composers of the time, and fused Classicism and Romanticism together, a style today's society is happy to have, since Saint-Saens could have easily been successful in another career.

The four character pieces for piano and orchestra are all rather interesting. Wedding Cake (6')is a waltz-caprice for piano and strings alone; a dainty showpiece in a whimsical setting, sparring gentility vs. extroverted. The Allegro Appassionato (5') is also a showpiece with lightning-quick orchestral and piano work, with a lush, contrasted middle. Rhapsodie d'Auvergne (8') uses a folk-based melody Saint-Saens heard a French washer-woman singing. Fresh, captivating melody and orchestration, the music is emotionally moving, along with come snappier folk-like ideas in contrast. The last, Africa (9'), is taken from Saint-Saens' many travels abroad: Algeria, Canary Islands, Africa, Russia, South America, USA, Scandinavia, and Indonesia; Saint-Saens in fact studied the folk music of North Africa. The work, Africa, is a sort of fantasy on many tunes from North Africa, another neat orchestral/piano showpiece.

The five piano concertos show a growth in composition from Saint-Saens over a period of time. The first (26')is inspired by the Fontainebleau forest; there is fresh vitality, youthful optimism, as well as occasional Spanish harmonic inflections, a trend Saint-Saens will continue more in his lifetime. The second concerto (21'), with its gruff, minor opening, is a Romantic counterpart to his first; long sweeping lines, a fanciful scherzo, and dramatic sweep throughout show a maturing Saint-Saens. Concerto No. 3 (25')shows Saint-Saens' penchant for melody; while the opening is a bit wandering and ponderous, there is a catchy, heroic theme; an emotional second mvt., and an infectious finale theme, a heavy barcarolle/dance type feel, for an emotional and fun concerto. The fourth concerto (24'), only in two movements, begins with a sneaky theme in a sort of theme and variation form, along with a chorale reminiscent of his "Organ" Symphony, but ending with a lively scherzo, a simple melody, and a dashing finale, showing simplicity and classicism in his mature style. The last concerto (27'), often called "Egyptian", is unabashedly Romantic, including some bold and striking Spanish rhythms, some unusual modes and syncopations, some orientalism (weird voicings and multi-cultural devices that are unusually forward-looking for Saint-Saens), and an optimistic finale. The evolution of time shows Saint-Saens embracing the past, with a special hold on Romanticism, but surprises me with no lack of inventiveness in later life, not to mention a never-quelling mind for tunefulness, evident in all of these works.

These are very good performances by Stephen Hough on piano and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo. The orchestra is rich and full, all voices speak clearly and play with lightness, humor, and grandeur when asked for; all in all a terrific ensemble presentation. The pianist is remarkably at home; nothing is heavy (which is rarely called for in Saint-Saens), bringing out the classicism in his music. Instead, texture and color are Saint-Saens' best Romantic attributes, and Hough brings those out, not to mention extremely clean playing. The piano is miked close, and the sound is forward and "dry", but Hough backs off when his role requires it, and the piano and orchestra work remarkably well together, playing off one another at times. The Hyperion sound is excellent and makes the disk a success, a resonant atmosphere and crisp playing are captured on this disk well. The CD's are full as well: CD1 at 79+ minutes and CD2 at 76 minutes, is a lot of music, and the extra four character pieces on top of the concertos makes this a must-have. Excellent performances with amazing sound; recommended. TT: 155.28


A Fine Set, But Not as Fine as It Might Be   July 29, 2003
 16 out of 20 found this review helpful

The most remarkable feature of this recording may also be one of its chief drawbacks-namely that all of Saint-Saens' concerted music of piano is crammed onto two chock-a-block discs. I doubt, given the technical limitations of the compact disc, that Hyperion could have added a brief etude or caprice to either of these CDs. Great value, then, except that it seems this compactness came at a price. Almost all of these works seem rushed in spots, as if Hough and company knew they were working against space constraints. I can't say for a fact that this is true, but while there is no end of brio and elan in these performances, there is often a lack of the Gallic elegance that Saint-Saens also provides in works that, not surprisingly, the suave, fastidious craftsman Maurice Ravel cited as models for his concertos.

If all you know is the popular Second Concerto, which some wag once claimed as traversing music history "from Bach to Offenbach," then you only know the shallowest of Saint-Saens' concertos. If you are not familiar with the Fourth Concerto, Saint-Saens' finest orchestral work, you should be. Built on the same architectural principles as the composer's popular Organ Symphony, this is more successful still and certainly more tasteful, though, as in the Organ Symphony, the finale is the weakest bit and keeps the concerto in the realm of the near-great rather than the great. Hough and Oramo lavish their best work on this concerto, and the performance is a winner, from the mysterious opening to the resounding appearance of the motto theme in chorale treatment by the brass. (After that, it's all downhill for the concerto anyway, as Saint-Saens ends with some especially empty display work for the pianist.)

Elsewhere, I find a lack of willingness on the part of the soloist and conductor to let the music expand naturally. This is especially true in the slow movement of the Egyptian Concerto (No. 5), which here lacks the requisite exoticism and even mysticism, I think. Ditto Saint-Saens' other North Africa-inspired piece titled simply "Africa." There may be something of the slapdash about this work anyway, though I enjoy it, but the performers give this less-than-vintage Saint-Saens no time to breathe, which it sorely needs if it is to survive at all. There's a tendency to rush the charming First Concerto, too, and there, despite all the brilliance, goes some of the charm. On the other hand, the underrated Third Concerto sounds imposing and even important in Hough's performance, and if he can't do much for the commonplace music of the finale, no one else can either.

One other problem has to do with the recording. In general, Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series has featured fine, natural sound, but here the sound is very close and dry, with the piano placed in an unnaturally forward and rather airless perspective.

So while I'm, as always, impressed by the brilliance of Hough's playing in these concertos, I think something important is missing. And as fine as the Fourth Concerto and parts of the other concertos are in these performances, overall I prefer Jean-Phillipe Collard and Andre Previn. The sound on their EMI discs (catalog number 73356) is more recessed and maybe a little lacking in presence but much more realistic overall. And the performances have all the Gallic elegance that Hough and Oramo's lack. Add to this EMI's two-fer price, and you can't go wrong.

So if your budget allows for two sets of Saint-Saens concertos, certainly Hough's should be one of them. Otherwise, I think Collard is your man.