The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op. 20, by

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

is a piece for

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

written in 1859 and premiered in 1867 in Paris. Despite its numbering, this concerto was Saint-Saëns' second for the violin because it was published first. This was the first in a string of collaborations with virtuoso violinist Pablo Sarasate, who was only 15 years old at the time. This concerto, along with No. 2 and No. 3, would result in a lifelong friendship and collaboration between Saint-Saëns and

Sarasate Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués (; 10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), commonly known as Pablo de Sarasate, was a Spanish violinist, composer and conductor of the Romantic period. His best known works include ''Zigeunerweisen' ...

. The work never gained much popularity during Saint-Saëns' lifetime, to his disappointment.

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo violin, 2 flutes/piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

Structure

The work is in only a single movement, labeled ''allegro''. The piece has a performance time of approximately 12 minutes, garnering criticism for its short length. Critics called the work a 'concert piece' because it is barely longer than other works of that label, much to the annoyance of Saint-Saëns himself.

Notable recordings

Ruggiero Ricci Ruggiero Ricci (24 July 1918 – 5 August 2012) was an American violinist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini. Biography He was born in San Bruno, California, the son of Italian immigrants who first named him Woodr ...

, violin,

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cinc ...

, conductor Max Rudolf. Record 1965 *

Ivry Gitlis Ivry Gitlis (;‎ 25 August 1922 – 24 December 2020) was an Israeli virtuoso violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He performed with the world's top orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmoni ...

, violin, (with concerto n°4, op.62, unfinished), Orchestre National de Mont Carlo, conductor

Edouard Van Remoortel Edouard van Remoortel (30 May 1926 in Brussels – 16 May 1977 in Paris) was a Belgian conductor. He studied cello and conducting at the Brussels conservatory. He was affiliated with the Belgian National Orchestra as of 1951. From 1958 to 1962 ...

. LP Philipps 1968 report CD 1998 *

Ulf Hoelscher Ulf Hoelscher (born 17 January 1942 in Kitzingen) is a German violinist. He has been soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He has recorded numerous concertos by S ...

, violin'','' ''Complete Violin Concertos'' (n°1, n°2, n°3''),'' New Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor

Pierre Dervaux Pierre Dervaux (born 3 January 1917 in Juvisy-sur-Orge, France; died 20 February 1992 in Marseilles, France) was a French operatic conductor (music), conductor, composer, and pedagogue. At the Conservatoire de Paris, he studied counterpoint and ha ...

. Recorded 1977. 2 CD Brillant Classics 2012 *

Philippe Graffin Philippe Graffin (born 1964 in Romilly-sur-Seine) is a French violinist. Pupil of Josef Gingold, Philippe Hirschhorn and Viktor Liberman. He has made several recordings for Hyperion Records as well as "Avie Records" and "Onyx". He was born in R ...

, violin, ''Complete Violin Concertos'' (n°1, n°2, n°3),

Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional radi ...

, conductor

Martyn Brabbins Martyn Charles Brabbins (born 13 August 1959) is a British conductor. Biography The fourth of five children in his family, he learned to play the euphonium, and then the trombone during his youth at Towcester Studio Brass Band. He later studi ...

. CD Hyperion 1998 * Fanny Clamagirand, violin, ''Complete Violin Concertos (''n°1, n°2, n°3)'','' Finlandia Jyväskilä, conductor Patrick Gallois. CD Naxos 2009 * Andrew Wan, violin, ''Complete Violin Concertos'' (n°1, n°2, n°3), Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, conductor

Kent Nagano Kent George Nagano (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD) of the Hamburg State Opera (until 2025). Early life and education Nagano was born in Berkeley, ...

. CD Analekta 2015

References

External links

* Violin Concerto No. 1: Scores at the

International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project uses MediaWiki software, and ...

{{Camille Saint-Saëns Concertos by Camille Saint-Saëns Saint-Saens 01 1859 compositions