Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Pierre Cao, Reinhard Peters :: Saint-Saëns: Works For Violin, Cello

EXCELLENT COLLECTION FOR SAINT-SAENS COMPLETISTS

C. McGovern | Beacon Falls, CT USA | 02/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've actually owned this disc before when it was first released on CD in the early '90's. Apparently VoxBox decided it needed a makeover--They've repackaged it in a slimmer 2-disc jewel case with a whole new cover art (Amazon has the original cover on the order page--If you order it, it has an outdoor-scene paniting replacing the violin close-up). This is a very reasonably-priced set that features all of Saint-Saens' concertos AND short pieces for violin/orchestra and cello/orchesrta, most of which are pieces that you only find as extras on CD's that feature a concerto that was too short, and for the most part, Saint-Saens' 1st 2 violin concertos are near-impossible to find at all. The CD is very beautifully sequenced with the short pieces interspersed with the concerti, allowing you to just surrender yourself to a full program of violin serenading. Decent renderings of the cello/orchestra works as well! VoxBox is a godsend for being able to put together these collections of otherwise hard-to-find classics, and more often than not they use decent-quality recordings. The quality on this one is subperb. For those of you who are Saint-Saens (or concerti) enthusiasts, and you haven't yet purchased Violin Con. #3, get this and you'll never have to worry about finding the other 2--You'll pretty much have everything."

These recordings stink

Michael Suh | 02/25/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I know, how can you beat the price? It's so cheap!



But the recordings are old, fuzzy, and not very good.



Ten years ago, this might have been your only chance to hear Saint-Saens's 2nd Cello Concerto. Since the first cello concerto is such a delight, is the 2nd any good? And the answer is a resounding NO -- it's awful.



Regardless, Naxos has fixed this -- you can still hear this dreadful clunker, but now with much better sound and a stronger cello soloist.



Ricci as violinist isn't great. I admire him greatly in general, but he must have been yards away from the microphone, because he is barely audible. And, he COMPLETELY botches the last note in the 3rd Violin Concerto -- which is the only worthwhile of Saint-Saens's violin works (there really is good reason why his other works are never played!).



Spend a little extra money and get the EMI set of complete violin works -- which has a few more works on it than this one anyway (showing this set isn't even complete like it says it is). And get the Naxos recording with Klingel if you really must hear the 2nd Cello Concerto.



This set has made people suffer with inferior recordings for too long, and it's time for it to go."

Ruggiero Ricci seriously lacks musical depth...

Cindy Oneal | Salem, OR | 07/11/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"All of Ruggiero Ricci's recordings that I've heard have felt like they were seriously lacking of any kind of emotion, seeming more like a robot playing the pieces than a human displaying his feelings through a composers works. And with pieces on this CD such as the "Introduction and Rondo Cappricio" or the "Havanaise", they require much more feeling than he exibits. For example, he chooses overall very quick tempos, and then not taking any time when necessary to make an impactfull phrase, rushing through it as though it was insignificant. His vibrato seems very mechanical, extremely fast and harsh, adding to the robot like effect of his playing. On the plus for this CD however, is that it does supply the consumer with an abundance of recordings very difficult to find. Saint Saens first two violin concertos, and his second cello concerto for example. And Laszlo Varga does an excellent job interpretting the cello pieces, the primary reason i gave this CD 3 stars, where as if it were simply Ricci's playing it would have been a 2."