Camille Saint-Saëns - Complete Concertos (New Talents Edition #3)

Information

Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

• Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 17
• Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
• Le Carneval Des Animaux, R. 125

Yilan Zhao, piano

Hayoung Choi, cello

Ilyun Bürkev & Arya su Gülenc, pianos

ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

Howard Grifftiths, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Berlin Classics

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Representing the third volume of Berlin Classics' "New Talents Edition," this album presents the complete concertos of Camille Saint-Saëns, recorded by a new generation of soloists alongside conductor Howard Griffiths and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Supported by the Swiss Orpheum and Eppur si muove foundations, the release features pianist Yilan Zhao in the expressive Piano Concerto No. 1, and award-winning cellist Hayoung Choi performing the virtuosic Cello Concerto No. 1. Concluding with the humorous Carnival of the Animals, the album showcases rising Turkish pianists Ilyun Bürkev and Arya Su Gülenç, delivering an exceptional showcase of emerging international talent.

Born in Paris in 1835, Camille Saint-Saëns was a legendary child prodigy who excelled as a pianist, composer, and organist, famously praised by Franz Liszt as the world’s greatest organist. Over a prolific career, Saint-Saëns distinguished himself across all genres, composing masterpiece symphonies, concertos, operas like Samson et Dalila, and the iconic Carnival of the Animals, while also pioneering the first-ever film score in 1908. As co-founder of the Société nationale de musique, he champion French music and mentored figures like Gabriel Fauré. A passionate traveler and academician, Saint-Saëns died in Algiers in 1921, leaving an enduring global legacy.