Cello Concerto No. 2 (Saint-Saëns)
Encyclopedia
Saint-Saëns
' Cello Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 119, is written in two movements, like his Fourth Piano Concerto
. It was composed for a Dutch cellist, Joseph Hollmann, in 1902. The Second Concerto is much more virtuosic than the First, but does not possess the latter's thematic inventiveness and harmonic intricacy.
"In many respects, it's a finer creation than its famous predecessor in A minor Op. 33; larger in overall concept (it comprises two main sections, each subdivided into two movements) and arguably of greater thematic nobility, the concerto remains largely unknown."
The first movement is in sonata form
. The second part is a prayer, in E-flat major in simple ternary form
. The first movement ends with a scale in artificial harmonic
s, like the scale in the First Cello Concerto
. The second movement is a moto perpetuo
in G minor. It ends abruptly in a cadenza
, followed by a major-key recapitulation of the first movement, and a coda
.
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
' Cello Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 119, is written in two movements, like his Fourth Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 4 (Saint-Saëns)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor , Op. 44 by Camille Saint-Saëns, is the composer's most structurally innovative piano concerto. It follows the typical concerto format of three movements, but the central Andante section is usually attached seamlessly to the preceding Allegro moderato. In fact, the...
. It was composed for a Dutch cellist, Joseph Hollmann, in 1902. The Second Concerto is much more virtuosic than the First, but does not possess the latter's thematic inventiveness and harmonic intricacy.
"In many respects, it's a finer creation than its famous predecessor in A minor Op. 33; larger in overall concept (it comprises two main sections, each subdivided into two movements) and arguably of greater thematic nobility, the concerto remains largely unknown."
Music
- Allegro moderato e maestoso
- Andante sostenuto
The first movement is in sonata form
Sonata form
Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
. The second part is a prayer, in E-flat major in simple ternary form
Ternary form
Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form, usually schematicized as A-B-A. The first and third parts are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part in some way provides a contrast with them...
. The first movement ends with a scale in artificial harmonic
Artificial harmonic
To produce an artificial harmonic, a stringed instrument player holds down a note on the neck with the non-dominant hand, thereby shortening the vibrational length of the string, uses a finger to lightly touch a point on the string that is an integer divisor of its vibrational length, and plucks or...
s, like the scale in the First Cello Concerto
Cello Concerto No. 1 (Saint-Saëns)
Camille Saint-Saëns composed his Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 in 1872, when the composer was age 37. He wrote this work for the Belgian cellist, viola de gamba player and instrument maker Auguste Tolbecque. Tolbecque was part of a distinguished family of musicians closely associated...
. The second movement is a moto perpetuo
Perpetuum mobile
Perpetuum mobile , moto perpetuo , mouvement perpétuel , movimiento perpetuo , literally meaning "perpetual motion", means two distinct things:#pieces of music, or parts of pieces, characterised by a continuous steady stream of notes, usually at a...
in G minor. It ends abruptly in a cadenza
Cadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
, followed by a major-key recapitulation of the first movement, and a coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
.
Recordings
- Zuill BaileyZuill BaileyZuill Bailey , Alexandria, Virginia, is an American cellist. A Juilliard graduate, he has appeared with a number of major orchestras internationally, and has an exclusive international recording contract with the Telarc label...
(Cello) and David Wiley (Roanoke Symphony Orchestra) - Lynn HarrellLynn HarrellLynn Harrell is an American classical cellist.-Biography:Harrell was born in New York City of musician parents; his father was the baritone Mack Harrell and his mother, Marjorie Fulton, was a violinist. At the age of eight he decided to learn to play the cello. When Lynn was 12, his family moved...
(Cello) and Riccardo ChaillyRiccardo ChaillyRiccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
(Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra) - Steven IsserlisSteven IsserlisSteven Isserlis CBE is a British cellist. He is distinguished for his diverse repertoire, distinctive sound and total command of phrasing. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was much influenced by the great iconoclast of Russian cello playing, Daniil Shafran...
(Cello) and Christoph EschenbachChristoph EschenbachChristoph Eschenbach , born February 20, 1940, Breslau, Germany is a German-born pianist and conductor. He currently holds positions in Washington, D.C. as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and music director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.-Early...
(North German Radio Symphony Orchestra) - Maria KliegelMaria Kliegel-Professional career:Kliegel was born in Dillenburg, Hesse. She studied under Janos Starker starting at the age of 19. She won first prize at the American College Competition, First German Music Competition and Concours Aldo Parisot, and was also the Grand Prize winner at the 2nd Mstislav...
(Cello) and Jean-François Monnard (Bournemouth Sinfonietta) - Torleif Thedéen (Cello) and Jean-Jacques KantorowJean-Jacques KantorowJean-Jacques Kantorow is a French violin virtuoso and conductor.-Biography:Kantorow was born in Cannes, France. From the age of 13 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with René Benedetti, and in 1960 won the first violin prize...
(Tapiola Sinfonietta) - Laszlo VargaLaszlo VargaLaszlo Varga is a Hungarian-American cellist who has a worldwide status as a soloist, recording artist, and authoritative cello teacher.-Biography:...
(Cello) and Siegfried LandauSiegfried LandauSiegfried Landau was a German-born American conductor and composer.He was born in Berlin, the son of Ezekiel Landau, an Orthodox rabbi, and Helen Landau. He was a music student at the Stern and Klindworth-Scarwenka Conservatories in Germany. His family emigrated to London in 1939...
(Westphalian Symphony Orchestra) - Christine Walevska (Cello) and Eliahu InbalEliahu InbalEliahu Inbal is an Israeli conductor.Inbal studied violin at the Israeli Academy of Music and took composition lessons with Paul Ben-Haim...
(Orchestra National de Monte-Carlo) - Jamie Walton (Cello) and Alex Briger (Philharmonia Orchestra)