Camille Saint-Saëns

Introduction et Rondo capriccioso op. 28

Many well-known violinists such as the dedicatee Pablo de Sarasate, together later with Eugène Ysaye and Jacques Thibaud, included in their repertoires Camille Saint-Saëns' 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.