Suite for Cello and Piano (Saint-Saëns)

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The Suite for Cello and Piano, Op. 16, was written by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1866. This work is considered the launching point of the composer's career.

Structure[]

The piece is written in the form of a suite with five movements:

1. Prélude: Moderato assai
2. Sérénade: Andantino
3. Scherzo: Allegro grazioso
4. Romance: Adagio
5. Finale: Allegro con brio

The end of the finale contains a recapitulation of the prelude, typical of a serenade. In fact, the work bears a close resemblance to Antonín Dvořák's String Serenade^{[original research?]}.

Orchestrated version[]

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Saint-Saëns' interest in this piece was revived in 1919. Cellist , for whom the Second Cello Concerto was written, encouraged Saint-Saëns to orchestrate this suite of five pieces. However, the composer felt that the Scherzo and Finale were too pianistic to be orchestrated, and eventually came to a decision to replace the two movements with a Gavotte and a Tarantelle, respectively.^{[citation needed]} The Gavotte, originally written in G minor, was transposed into D minor upon orchestration. The Romance already existed in orchestrated form because the composer once took the movement from the original suite and transcribed it for horn, for , though he modified it once again with different orchestration for the suite.^[1] The orchestrated version was published by J. Hamelle in 1920.

Recordings[]

Cello and Piano

• (cello) and (piano)
• Christoph Henkel (cello) and Hüseyin Sermet (piano)
• Maria Kliegel (cello) and François-Joël Thiollier (piano)
• (cello) and Leo van Doeselaar (piano)

Cello and Orchestra

• Steven Isserlis (cello) and Christoph Eschenbach conducting the NDR Symphony Orchestra)
• Maria Kliegel (cello) and conducting the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
• Mischa Maisky (cello) and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
• Christine Walevska (cello) and Eliahu Inbal conducting the Orchestra National de Monte-Carlo)
• Johannes Moser (cello) and Fabrice Bollon conducting the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

See also[]

• List of compositions for cello and piano

References[]

External links[]

• Cello Suite, Op. 16: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project