Onyx Classics: Saint-Saëns — Symphony No. 1, Cello Concerto No. 1, La Muse et le Poète — Augustin Dumay (Audio CD)

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Product Details:

• UPC: 880040409120
• Catalog Number: ONYX 4091
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Onyx Classics
• Performer: Augustin Dumay (violin & conductor)
• Cello: Pavel Gomziakov
• Orchestra: Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra
• Guest conductor: Sachio Fujioka (La Muse et le Poète)
• Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
• Release Year: 2012
• Genre: Classical
• Style: Romantic, Concerto, Symphony

Product Features

• Format: CD
• Discs: 1
• Total runtime: 64:13
• Recording: DDD
• Made in: EU
• Condition: Brand new, factory sealed

Overview

Augustin Dumay's Onyx debut pairs three Saint-Saëns works of contrasting fame: the popular First Cello Concerto, the superb but neglected First Symphony, and the late, rarely heard double concertante piece La Muse et le Poète. Dumay leads the Kansai Philharmonic from the violin, with cellist Pavel Gomziakov as his partner.

The Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor is the best-known piece here — compact, single-span, and a staple of the repertoire. Gomziakov gives it drive and warmth. La Muse et le Poète, Op. 132, is the discovery: a duet for violin and cello written late in Saint-Saëns's life, lyrical and conversational, and far too seldom programmed. Dumay and Gomziakov play it as the dialogue it is.

The Symphony No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 2, rounds out the disc. Saint-Saëns wrote it as a teenager, and its assurance startled audiences who didn't know the composer's name at the premiere. It deserves to be heard more often, and this is a committed case for it.

Recorded with Japan's Kansai Philharmonic and supported by the Rohm Music Foundation, the album makes a strong, well-balanced program — one famous work, one neglected gem, one early surprise.

Interesting Facts

• Saint-Saëns composed his First Symphony at around seventeen; its 1853 premiere was given anonymously, and listeners were astonished to learn it was the work of a teenager.
• La Muse et le Poète, Op. 132, began life as a piano trio before Saint-Saëns reworked it into a concertante piece for violin, cello, and orchestra.
• The Cello Concerto No. 1 unfolds in a single continuous movement rather than the usual three, an unusual structure for its time.
• Augustin Dumay is a French violinist often compared to the great Franco-Belgian school players; here he doubles as conductor.
• The Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, based in Osaka, is one of Japan's notable regional orchestras, supported by the Rohm Music Foundation.
• Onyx Classics is a British independent label founded in 2005, known for artist-led chamber and orchestral recordings.

Track Listing

1. La Muse et le Poète, Op. 132 — 16:25 (conductor: Sachio Fujioka) 2–4. Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 — 18:31 5–8. Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 2 — 29:17

Publishers

℗ 2012 Augustin Dumay; © 2012 PM Classics Ltd. Catalog ONYX 4091. Supported by the Rohm Music Foundation. Made in the EU.

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