Saint-Saëns was what you would call a child prodigy. His list of talents is a long one: in addition to being a composer and a conductor, he was also a pianist, organist, playwright, critic and naturalist. He even found the time to write a few travelogues. He was also known for his ability to compose fast, a skill that came in handy when the renowned Russian pianist and conductor Anton Rubinstein – and a good friend of Saint-Saëns – came to Paris in 1868 for a series of eight concerts conducted by Saint-Saëns himself. Just before the end of the tour, Rubinstein suddenly decided to make his own Paris debut as a conductor, with Saint-Saëns as soloist. The next available date for a concert at the Salle Pleyel was three weeks later. Saint-Saëns started writing, and 17 days later completed his Second Piano Concerto. That did not leave much time to rehearse. Saint-Saëns was therefore unsatisfied with the première on 13 May1 868.

Yet, the Piano Concerto in G Minor has become one of Saint-Saëns’ most popular and most frequently played works. It is structured as a ‘symphonic concerto’, with a dramatic role for the soloist. That is made immediately clear in the first movement, in which Saint-Saëns surprises us with a slow, free passage for solo piano in which Bach seems to be close by. Presumably, this part originated as an improvisation on the organ – Saint-Saëns was a gifted organist and was admired by Franz Liszt, among others. With this slow first movement, Saint-Saëns altered the traditional sequence of the concerto from fast-slow-fast to -slow-fast-fast. The second, virtuoso movement – the audience favourite at the première – and the whirling tarantella in the finale constitute a veritable challenge to the concert pianist.