Camille Saint-Saëns

Six Études for piano op. 52

Saint-Saëns' "Six Études pour piano" op. 52, a work from his mature period, was published in 1877, around the same time as his opera "Samson et Dalila". The second of the etudes was originally written in 1868 for the "École du pianiste", the French edition of Lebert and Stark's piano school. With his collection, the composer, who presents himself here for the first time with piano etudes, clearly wanted to consciously distinguish himself from the type of brilliant concert etude: Each of the etudes is dedicated to one or more specific difficulties or movement techniques, as in the fugues. He assigned the individual pieces to famous virtuosos of his time, such as Anton or Nikolai Rubinstein or Marie Jaëll.

The new Urtext edition is based on the standard-setting musical text of Camille Saint-Saëns' "Œuvres instrumentales complètes", for which the editor has conscientiously evaluated all known sources. A detailed preface introduces the genesis and significance of the etudes. Readings and variants are precisely documented in the Critical Commentary. Notes on interpretation (French/English/German) and an elegant engraving offer the pianist optimal conditions for studying these virtuoso etudes.