Saint-Saëns
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The Romantic Piano Concerto 27 - Saint-Saëns
RecommendedStephen Hough (piano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
If Saint-Saëns's idiom once answered – and maybe still does – to qualities fundamental to the French musical character, it must be said straight away that Hough sounds the complete insider.... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Awards, 2002, Recording of the Year
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Gramophone Awards, 2002, Winner - Concerto
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2001, Editor's Choice
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Presto Favourites, Recommended Recording
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Penguin Guide, Rosette
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Gramophone Awards, 2008, Gold Disc
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Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Alexandre Kantorow (piano), Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
The virtuosity is breathtaking, yet nothing is hard-pressed, for the younger Kantorow has that hallmark of the greatest performers of always appearing to have plenty of time...In short, this... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, July 2022, Concerto Choice
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Schallplattenkritik Quarterly Critics Choice, Autumn 2022, Orchestral Music & Concertos
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International Classical Music Awards, 2023, Nominated - Concerto
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Gramophone Awards, 2023 Finalists, Shortlisted - Concerto
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Paganini: 24 Caprices
Recommendedplus Caprices by Berlioz, Cervelló, Kreisler, Ortiz, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Wieniawski
María Dueñas (violin), Itamar Golan (piano), Boris Kuschnir (violin), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Mihhail Gerts
The Paganini Caprices have energy in the bowing from the outset, confident octaves and portamento, and impeccable double stops...You could listen straight through, but I’d recommend random shuffling... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 14th February 2025
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Gramophone Magazine, March 2025, Recording of the Month
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Gramophone Awards, 2025 Winners, Instrumental
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2025
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The New York Times, Best Classical Music Albums of 2025
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Dueñas’s performance favours the Concerto’s abundant lyrical qualities. In the magical Larghetto she combines unaffected simplicity with rich sentiment while her account of the ‘Rondo’ is certainly... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 5th May 2023
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2023
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2023, Shortlisted - Debut Solo Album
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Concerto
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2023
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2024, Winner - Young Talent of the Year
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Orchestral players will travel long distances to make music with [Wilson] and this recording shows why…It’s far from being all noise, the woodwind in particular being exquisitely agile…All the... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, February 2020, Recording of the Month
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BBC Music Magazine, April 2020, Orchestral Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2020
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The Times Records of the Year, 2020
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This is utterly adorable from start to finish…In the booklet Piau speaks of her joy at performing this kind of repertoire and her rapture is palpable from the breathless opening moments of Saint-Saens’s... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, May 2019
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Diapason d’Or, June 2019
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BBC Music Magazine, August 2019, Choral & Song Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2019
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International Classical Music Awards, 2019, Nominee - Vocal
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Gramophone Magazine, December 2019, Critics' Choice
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Presto Recording of the Week, 20th December 2019
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2020, Finalist - Vocal
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Gramophone Awards, 2020, Winner - Recital
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In John Wilson's account [of The Sorcerer's Apprentice] the drama is calibrated to a T with virtuosity and precision aplenty, from the first purposely placed pizzicato 'plop' to that unearthly... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 1st May 2026
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The beauty of Alice Coote’s mezzo-soprano glows with radiance. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2015, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2016, Finalist - Solo Vocal
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Special offer. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 & pieces for solo piano
RecommendedBertrand Chamayou (piano)
Orchestre National de France, Emmanuel Krivine
The nimbleness and fluidity of his playing is remarkable. It’s a zingy performance (of the Second Concerto) all round, with a vigorous performance from the Orchestre National de France, conducted... —
Awards:
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2018
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Presto Recording of the Week, 21st December 2018
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Gramophone Awards, 2019, Recording of the Year
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Ravel & Saint-Saëns: Piano Trios
Alexander Sitkovetsky (violin), Isang Enders (cello), Wu Qian (piano), Sitkovetsky Trio
It’s ravishingly done by the Sitkovetsky Trio, who more than inhabit the scope of Ravel’s expressive language and ambition in his attempt to expand the form’s musical language. —
Awards:
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International Classical Music Awards, 2022, Nominated - Chamber Music
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2022, Winner - Chamber
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