Violin Concerto No. 1 (Saint-Saëns)

The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op. 20, by Camille Saint-Saëns is a piece for violin and orchestra written in 1859 and premiered in 1867 in Paris. Despite its numbering, this concerto was Saint-Saëns' second for the violin because it was published first.^[1][2] This was the first in a string of collaborations with virtuoso violinist Pablo Sarasate, who was only 15 years old at the time. This concerto, along with No. 2 and No. 3, would result in a lifelong friendship and collaboration between Saint-Saëns and Sarasate. The work never gained much popularity during Saint-Saëns' lifetime, to his disappointment.^[3]

Violin Concerto
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Key	A Major
Opus	20
Period	Romantic
Genre	Concerto
Composed	1859 (1859)
Movements	1
Scoring	Violin & Orchestra
Premiere
Date	April 4, 1867 (1867-4-4)
Location	Paris
Conductor	Camille Saint-Saëns
Performers	Pablo de Sarasate, Paris Philharmonic

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo violin, 2 flutes/piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.^[4]

Structure

The work is in only a single movement, labeled allegro.

The piece has a performance time of approximately 12 minutes, garnering criticism for its short length. Critics called the work a 'concert piece' because it is barely longer than other works of that label, much to the annoyance of Saint-Saëns himself.^[3]

Notable recordings

• Ruggiero Ricci, violin, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conductor Max Rudolf. Record 1965
• Ivry Gitlis, violin, (with concerto n°4, op.62, unfinished), Orchestre National de Mont Carlo, conductor Edouard Van Remoortel. LP Philipps 1968 report CD 1998
• Ulf Hoelscher, violin, Complete Violin Concertos (n°1, n°2, n°3), New Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor Pierre Dervaux. Recorded 1977. 2 CD Brillant Classics 2012
• Philippe Graffin, violin, Complete Violin Concertos (n°1, n°2, n°3), Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor Martyn Brabbins. CD Hyperion 1998
• Fanny Clamagirand, violin, Complete Violin Concertos (n°1, n°2, n°3), Finlandia Jyväskilä, conductor Patrick Gallois. CD Naxos 2009
• Andrew Wan, violin, Complete Violin Concertos (n°1, n°2, n°3), Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, conductor Kent Nagano. CD Analekta 2015