Cello Concerto No. 1 (Saint-Saëns)

Structure and overview#

Saint-Saëns broke with convention in writing the concerto. Instead of using the normal three-movement concerto form, he structured the piece in one continuous movement. This single movement contains three distinct sections. Those sections, tightly structured, share interrelated ideas. Saint-Saëns’ contact with Franz Liszt while serving as organist at the Église de la Madeleine may have led him to use cyclic form in his orchestral works. Along with the solo cello, the concerto is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. The work is split into three different movements as follows: Saint-Saëns very often uses the solo cello here as a declamatory instrument. This keeps the soloist in the dramatic and musical foreground, the orchestra offering a shimmering backdrop. The music is tremendously demanding for soloists, especially in the fast third section. This difficulty has not stopped the concerto from becoming a favourite of the great virtuoso cellists.

I. Allegro non troppo#

The concerto begins unusually. Instead of the traditional orchestral introduction, the piece begins with one short chord from the orchestra. The cello follows, stating the main motif. Soon, countermelodies flow from both the orchestra and soloist, at times the two playfully “calling and answering” each other. ;1st movement, 1st theme (A minor) : \relative c’ \new Staff \key a \minor \clef bass \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo “Allegro non troppo” 2 = 80 \time 2/2 \set tupletSpannerDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 4) \set beamExceptions = #’((end . ( ((1 . 8) . (2 2 2 2)) ))) r4 e4\mf-> ~ \times 2/3 e8( d c b c d) c( b a gis a b a e) f4->( ~ f e) r8 e,( f4-> ~ f e) ;1st movement, 2nd theme : \relative c, \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \key a \minor \clef bass \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 2 = 76 \time 2/2 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #16 \bar "" \set tupletSpannerDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 4) \set beamExceptions = #’((end . ( ((1 . 8) . (2 2 2 2)) ))) \override Score.SpacingSpanner #‘common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 5) \times 2/3 e8(\ (! e dis) dis dis dis f->( e dis) dis dis dis e(\ (! e dis) dis dis dis f->( e dis) dis dis dis \set beamExceptions = #’() e r e,– f– f( e) e– a– a( gis) gis– c– c( b) b– f’– f( e) e– a– a( gis) gis– c– \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 2 = 66 c(_\markup \italic “rallent.” b) b( e) e4.(> e,8)! ;1st movement, 3rd theme : \relative c’ \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \key a \minor \clef bass \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 2 = 72 \time 2/2 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #59 \bar "" \override Score.SpacingSpanner #‘common-shortest-duration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2) d2(\p g,) a( bes) a4( bes c d) c( d e f) ges2(\sf c,) d( es) \clef tenor d4( es f g) f( g a bes) bes2((\dim e,) f( g)) bes(( e,) f( g)) a1(\pp \clef treble a’\flageolet) ~ a( a,) ;1st movement, 4th theme (piano reduction, F major) : \new PianoStaff 2.^\marcato 4 4. 8 4. q8 \set beamExceptions = #’((end . ( ((1 . 8) . (2 2 2 2)) ))) 4 2-> 8 c, c bes, b a, a g, g f, 4. 8 4. q8 \set beamExceptions = #’() a bes c d c d e g f g a bes bes g e bes a bes c d c d e g f g a bes bes g e bes \new Dynamics s4\f \new Staff = “down” \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \relative c \key f \major \clef bass \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \accidentalStyle “modern” 2.^\marcato 4 q 4. q8 4. q8 4 q2-> 4 4. 8 4. q8 4 r r r \arpeggio r r r r \arpeggio r »

II. Allegretto con moto#

The turbulent opening movement leads into a brief but highly original minuet, in which the strings are muted, and which contains a cello cadenza. ;2nd movement theme (B major) : \new StaffGroup > \new Staff \relative c’ \key bes \major \clef alto \set Staff.midiInstrument = “pizzicato strings” r4 r d-.\pp c8-. d-. es-. c-. es4-. es-. d-. bes-. c-. \acciaccatura d8 c8-. bes-. c4-. c2 d4-. c8-. d-. es-. c-. es4-. es-. d-. bes-. c-. r f,-. bes2 »

III. Tempo I#

The finale opens with a restatement of the opening material from the first movement. Saint-Saëns introduces two new themes but also includes the recapitulation of the fourth theme from the first movement, tying the whole design together. After a final restatement of the opening theme, he concludes by introducing an entirely new idea for the cello. ;3rd movement, 1st theme (A minor) : \relative c’ \new Staff \key a \minor \clef tenor \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo “Un peu moins vite” 2 = 50 \mark \markup \sans K % H = 372 \time 2/2 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #412 \bar "" r2 e8\p( a4 g8) c,( f4 e8) a,( d4 c8) \times 2/3 c( b a b4 ~ b8) b( c d) \times 2/3 f( e dis e4 ~ e8) fis( gis a) b4(-> e,) e8( a4 g8) c,( f4 e8) a,( d4 c8) \times 2/3 c( b a b4 ~ b8) b( cis dis) \times 2/3 fis( e dis e4 ~ e8)\ ~ b8! a e fis) g– fis– e2( dis4) e1 ~ e ~ e2 ;3rd movement, 2nd theme (F major) : \relative c, \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \key f \major \clef bass \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 2 = 64 \mark \markup \sans O \time 2/2 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #505 \bar "" c4((\mf f a c) des( g f e) f->( a, c des) c2 ~ c8) r r4 c,( f a c des g f e) f( a, c \acciaccatura es8 des4->) c2 ~ c8) r r4 \break \set tupletSpannerDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1 2) \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f es,2(-> d) ~ \times 2/3 d4 fis(-. a-. d-. fis-. a-.) c2( bes ~ bes4) r r2 f,2(-> e) ~ \times 2/3 e4 gis-.( b-. e8-. gis-. b-. d-.) d2( c) ;3rd movement, 3rd theme (A major) : \relative c’ \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \key a \major \clef tenor \set Staff.midiInstrument = “cello” \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo “(Molto allegro)” 2 = 108 \mark \markup \sans R \time 2/2 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #621 \bar "" r2 cis4\mf( d) dis( e a gis) g( d b cis) d( e8 d cis4 b) fis'2( e4 dis) fis( e d! cis) e( d a b) cis2( e4. d8 cis4)

Recordings#

• Mstislav Rostropovich, Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. Recorded 1955. SACD Praga 2013. Diapason d’or
• André Navarra, Orchestre de L’Association des Concerts Lamoureux, conducted by Charles Munch. CD Erato 1965
• Christine Walevska, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, conducted by Eliahu Inbal. Recorded 11/1973. CD Philips 1974
• Mstislav Rostropovich, London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. CD EMI 1978
• Matt Haimovitz, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine. CD DG 1989
• Jacqueline du Pré, Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Emi 1971 report CD Teldec 1991
• Maria Kliegel, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, conducted by Jean-François Monnard. CD Naxos 1995
• Torleif Thedéen, Tapiola Sinfonietta, conducted by Jean-Jacques Kantorow. CD Bis Records 1998
• Jeremy Findlay (Cello) and Jose Maria Florencio Junior (Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra). CD DUX 2003
• Piovano Luigi, Orchestra del Teatro Marrucino, conducted by Piero Bellugi, (Integral cello work)), 2 CD Eloquens 2011
• Gautier Capuçon, Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, conducted by Lionel Bringuier. CD Erato 2013
• Natalie Clein, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze (with Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 2 and other works), Hyperion CDA68002 2014
• Truls Mørk, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Neeme Järvi . CD Chandos 2016