Concerto for violin and orchestra no. 3

Among the four that Saint-Saëns wrote, his Third Violin Concerto is the only one to have truly found its place in the repertoire. The work is structured in three movements. Over a string tremolo, the soloist immediately begins the lively exchange of the Allegro and successively states a passionate first theme, and then an expressive, caressing second theme. The Andantino that follows is heard as a ternary barcarolle, where the soloist sings a song that unfolds freely, interspersed with comments from the woodwinds. The last movement opens with a stylized operatic recitative, the soloist playing a theatrical prelude and provoking the tutti’s response in a brilliant finale. While the orchestra never takes charge of the thematic exposition – which throughout the score remains the soloist’s initiative – it explores an intensely rich palette, where a certain tragic dimension, a form of introspective religiosity and vigorous romantic outbursts follow one another naturally. Saint-Saëns began composing the work in 1879 – two years after the premiere of Samson et Dalila – and dedicated his score to the famous violinist Pablo de Sarasate, who premiered it in Hamburg. The clear structure of the work, perhaps somewhat too tame, is counterbalanced by a more surprising tonal course and a rather new use of virtuosity, expressed episodically, with an astonishing flexibility and a great sense of freedom. In 1913, Saint-Saëns transcribed part of the work in the form of an Allegro de concert for violin and piano.