Saint-saens Camille - Sonate Op.168

SKU: BR.EB-8993

ISBN 9790004187227. 9 x 12 inches.

The three piano sonatas by Joachim Raff (1822-1882), representing his three main creative phases, occupy a special position among his more than 100 piano pieces. They reflect a significant compositional aspiration whereas Raff otherwise frequently leans towards the salon-music genre in his piano music. Raff composed the early sonata op. 14 in 1844 after his first works were positively evaluated and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy had encouraged him to venture a career as a composer. The Fantasie-Sonate [Fantasy Sonata] in d minor op. 168, Raff wrote in 1871 at the height of his fame as one of Germany's then most-played composers. Its dedication to Camille Saint-Saens shows his opposition to the rampant German disapproval of France and its music representatives in the wake of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71. The second version of the sonata op. 14, composed in the fall of 1881, had only the opus number in common with the earlier version. In this late work Raff had created an entirely new sonata. ,,Beautifully presented on cream paper, with exceptional clarity and generous spacing. The Fantasie-Sonate in D minor Op. 168, in particular, is a masterpiece which manifests both considerable power and exquisite craftsmanship. (www.pianodao.com).

SKU: IS.BCP7277EM

ISBN 9790365072774.

The three woodwind sonatas of Camille Saint-Saëns for oboe, clarinet and bassoon were composed in the final years of his life. In his mid-80s and knowing that he did not have much time left to live, he wrote to a friend, I am using my last energies to add to the repertoire for these otherwise neglected instruments. The transposition certainly creates some challenging moments, however, if they can be mastered, this wonderful sonata can be a great addition to the growing repertoire for this ‘otherwise neglected instrument.’.