SKU: BR.PB-15136
In Cooperation with G. Henle Verlag
ISBN 9790004214725. 10 x 12.5 inches.
The Havanaise possibly has its roots in the friendship of the composer with the Cuban-born violinist Rafael Diaz Albertini. It is thus perfectly plausible that Saint-Saens borrowed the Cuban syncopated slow dance Habanera out of kindness towards his performance partner when he was getting ready to write a work for Diaz Albertini in 1887. Saint-Saens originally wrote a version for violin and piano, which was later followed by the orchestral version that the publisher Durand had urged him to write. Diaz Albertini, to whom the work was dedicated, gave its world premiere before other virtuosos adopted it for themselves and spread its fame throughout the world. The basis of this first Urtext edition of the piece is the first edition, which was presumably personally overseen by Saint-Saens.
SKU: BR.PB-15155
ISBN 9790004215609. 10 x 12.5 inches.
Many well-known violinists such as the dedicatee Pablo de Sarasate, together later with Eugene Ysaye and Jacques Thibaud, included in their repertoires Camille Saint-Saens' concert piece composed in 1863. Even today, concert life is hard to imagine without the Introduction et Rondo capriccioso. The highly virtuosic work already inspired critics and audiences during the composer's lifetime; reported about the premiere in 1867 was: The Introduction and the Rondo capriccioso for the same instrument are both original and charming, and Maestro Sarasate, who was in his element here, admirably made the most of it. And a few years later, a music critic described the work as a kind of fantasy waltz in the Spanish style and with a most bewitching effect. After the first performances in 1867, despite success, the work's score and orchestral parts had little chance of publication due to concert companies' reluctance. In 1869 the Paris publishing house G. Hartmann merely published an arrangement for violin and piano produced by the composer's friend Georges Bizet. The orchestral score and parts were first published after the Paris publishing house Durand had acquired publication rights in 1875. The present edition published in collaboration with the G. Henle Verlag is the first critical edition of the work.
