When first issued in 2001, this set from Stephen Hough and the CBSO promptly garnered for these artists a second Gramophone Recording of the Year Award, for these are performances which combine all the elegance required for the Frenchman's music with the utmost bravura. Saint-Saens himself was a formidable pianist and his rare 1904 (!) 78-rpm recording of Africa has until now been matchless; finally in Stephen Hough's performance he has a rival.
SIDE A
Piano Concerto No 1 in D major Op 17 [26'02]
1 Andante – Allegro assai [11'37]
2 Andante sostenuto quasi adagio [8'00]
3 Allegro con fuoco [6'25]
SIDE B
Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor Op 22 [21'43]
1 Andante sostenuto [10'08]
2 Allegro scherzando [5'26] 3 Presto [6'09]
4 Valse-Caprice for piano and strings
'Wedding Cake' Op 76 [5'58]
SIDE C
Piano Concerto No 3 in E flat major Op 29 [25'48]
1 Moderato assai – Più mosso (Allegro maestoso) [12'26]