One of my favorite recordings!Trust us Looking at the other reviews here, I can only nod in complete agreement. Saint-Saëns is an underrated composer and these 5 concertos are joyful, seductive and deserving of a lot more attention than they have received. Saint-Saëns, like Mendelssohn, had the ability to instantly inspire happiness in the listener, this listener anyhow. Yes, the 2nd and 4th occasionally do get an airing, but the "Eqyptian" (the 5th) is every bit their equal and the remaining two concertos certainly have their own merits. The five deserve a double disc outing like this.
The performances here are very, very fine indeed. I have not heard the Collard/Previn versions (which are referred to in another review), although I have several versions of the 2nd and 4th. Charles Dutoit and Pascal Roge do a wonderful job, investing these performances with the affection and conviction they deserve. True, there is more of the virtuoso than the philosopher about Roge's playing, but that is entirely appropriate to Saint-Saëns. This is feel-good music (and music-making) of the very highest callibre.
Returning to these discs is always a pleasure for me and I hope will be for you. If you have even a passing interest in late Romantic piano concertos treat yourself to these.
Kudos to Dutoit, Roge and of course Saint-Saens! Although he is very well known, this is another example of why Saint-Saens is one of the most under-appreciated composers of all time. Just my $0.02...
