Publisher's Synopsis
Composed in only 17 days after the visiting Anton Rubinstein expressed a wish to have the Saint-Saëns appear as a piano soloist, the Piano Concerto No.2 had a rough start at its premiere at Paris' Salle Pleyel on May 13, 1868. The premiere took place a mere three weeks after Rubinstein proposed the composer appear as soloist, and Saint-Saëns later admitted he played poorly at the concert with so little time left to memorize the solo part. The critics were not sympathetic either. Despite the rough start, the work soon caught the public's attention and it remains a staple of the piano concerto repertoire to this day.
Offered here is a recent edition prepared by the renowned editorial team of Clinton Nieweg and Nancy Bradburd in 2001, near the end of their long tenure in the Philadelphia Orchestra library. Originally published by the now-defunct American publisher E.F. Kalmus, the edition is based on all available source material and re-engraved. Serenissima Music is the only authorized publisher of the Nieweg Critical Performance Editions and is proud to offer this superb score in a convenient study-size format for the first time.
