Camille Saint-Saëns

Sonate Nr. 2 F-dur op. 123

After the first cello sonata of 1872 (HN 1057) quickly became popular, the publisher kept urging the composition of a second sonata for this instrumentation. But it was not until March 1905, in the mild climate of Algeria, that Saint-Saëns gave in to the urging and composed a large four-movement sonata. He himself considered it superior to the first, even believing that with the third movement, "Romanza," he was providing a counterpart for the cellists to the famous "Swan" from the "Carnival of the Animals" (HN 943). However, the new work has remained in the shadow of the first sonata until today, not least because of the higher demands in terms of technique and design. Our Henle Urtextedition, the first ever text-critical edition of the work, now offers the opportunity to rediscover the composition.