Saint-Sans

COMPLETE Piano WORKS 2

CAMILLE Saint-Sans Geoffrey Burleson

16
HNH International 1
 Camille Saint-Sans
Complete Piano WORKS 2

Geoffrey Burleson, piano

Recording Date: October 2011

Recording Venue: Patrych Sound Studios, USA
Producers: Joseph Patrych and Geoffrey Burleson
Engineering: Joseph Patrych
Mastering: Joseph Patrych
Booklet Notes: Geoffrey Burleson
French translation by David Ylla-Somers
Artist photograps by Jazmin Fillion
Cover Art: Gro Thorsen: Untitled, 25x25cm, oil on aluminium, 2010
www.grothorsen.com
Support for this project was provided by a PSC-CUNY Award,
jointly funded by The Professional Staff Congress and
The City University of New York.

GEOFFREY BURLESON
2
Jazmin Fillion 15
Geoffrey Burleson

Geoffrey Burleson has performed to wide acclaim throughout Europe and North
America, and is equally active as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician
and jazz performer. His numerous solo appearances include prominent venues
in Paris, New York, Rome, Athens, Mexico City, Rotterdam, Chicago, Boston,
Washington, Switzerland, England, Spain, and elsewhere. He made his New
York City solo recital dbut at Merkin Hall in 2000, sponsored by the League of
Composers/ISCM. His appearances as concerto soloist include the Boston Musica
Viva, Arlington Philharmonic, New England Philharmonic, and the Holland Symfonia
in The Netherlands, in repertoire ranging from Mozart, Weber and Saint-Sans to
Gershwin and Klaas de Vries. Geoffrey Burleson is principal pianist with the Boston
Musica Viva, the New York Art Ensemble, David Sanfords Pittsburgh Collective,
and is a member of Princeton Universitys Richardson Chamber Players. He has also
performed and recorded frequently in duos with cellist Matt Haimovitz, violinist Mary
Rowell (from ETHEL), and vocalist Maria Tegzes. A laureate of the International Piano
Recording Competition (Silver Medal), and the Vienna Modern Masters International
Performers Competition, he was also the recipient of a DAAD Grant from the
German government to support a residency at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. A
graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Stony Brook
University (D.M.A.), he numbers among his principal teachers Gilbert Kalish, Leonard
Shure, Veronica Jochum, Lillian Freundlich, Tinka Knopf, and Audrey Bart Brown. His
recordings include the complete piano music of Roy Harris for Naxos (8.559664).
He teaches piano at Princeton University, and is Associate Professor of Music and
Director of Piano Studies at Hunter College-City University of New York.
1 Allegro daprs le 3e Concerto, Op. 29 10:19
Suite pour le Piano, Op. 90 11:10
2 I. Prlude et Fugue 03:08
3 II. Menuet 03:40
4 III. Gavotte 02:13
5 IV. Gigue 02:09
6 Allegro appassionato, Op. 70 05:44
7 Thme Vari, Op. 97 06:56
Six Fugues pour le Piano, Op. 161 19:51
8 I. Allegro moderato 04:05
9 II. Poco allegro grazioso 02:59
0 III. Allegretto 02:39
! IV. Allegro moderato 02:51
@ V. Andantino quasi allegretto 02:28
# VI. Maestoso, poco allegro 04:49

Burleson plays with enormous flair and style... superb! TOTAL TIME: 53:38
Fanfare on Naxos (8.559664)
A top-notch pianist. Burlesons piquancy and poetry
blended beautifully. The Washington Post

14 3
Camille Saint-Sans (1835-1921): rend ce symbolisme tonal potentiel dautant plus fascinant. Lpisode en si mineur
Complete Piano WORKS 2 se dissipe progressivement, les valeurs des notes se font plus lentes et Saint-Sans
vagabonde dans diverses tonalits par le biais de modulations tonnantes, finissant
A seminal figure in the history of French Romantic music, Camille Saint-Sans (1835- par atteindre une autre tonalit lointaine de mi bmol majeur dans un registre aigu
1921) was also one of the greatest keyboard prodigies of the past 200 years. When poignant. Son caractre fragile ne saurait contraster davantage, sous tous les angles,
he made his piano recital debut at the age of 10 in the Salle Pleyel, he announced to avec lpisode prcdent. Le matriau musical opre une descente progressive par
the audience that he would be pleased to perform any of Beethovens 32 sonatas as une srie de squences, finissant sur une pdale de dominante rpte (sol). A
an encore. A good deal later, Liszt referred to him as the greatest organist on earth. partir de l, Saint-Sans difie lentement un apoge resplendissant o les quatre
Saint-Sans was a prolific composer in all genres, and thus it is not at all surprising notes lentes descendantes sont amonceles la fois au-dessus et en dessous des
that he created a bountiful body of works for both organ and piano. notes plus rapides la fin du sujet fugu. La culmination finale est faite dnormes et
pesantes sonorits, sachevant par un dernier accord dut majeur explosif, lpilogue
Volume 2 of my traversal of Saint-Sans complete piano works focuses on the le plus audacieux et pertinent que Saint-Sans pouvait apporter sa musique
baroque and classical forms that the composer loved recasting into more Romantic pour piano. Ici, il semble galement se rfrer au domaine du grand orgue, lautre
realms, and transformed by his dynamic, imaginative and ingenious ideas: sonata- instrument clavier dont il marqua le rpertoire de faon si indlbile et dynamique.
allegro form movements, suites, theme and variations sets, and fugues. The
Allegro daprs le 3me Concerto, Op. 29, is essentially a solo piano version of Geoffrey Burleson
the opening movement of the Third Piano Concerto, with the essential elements Traduction franaise de David Ylla-Somers
of the orchestras material ingeniously combined and integrated within the solo
piano part. The pieces introduction actually presents the main theme, but via proto-
impressionistic watery textures that prefigure the world of Ravels Jeux deaux. This
leads to a declamatory statement of the opening theme once the main body of
the movement is reached. The often cascading virtuosic sections alternate with two
slow, lyrical rhapsodic passages, and the piece includes instances of exotic modal
harmonies that Saint-Sans would increasingly incorporate into his compositional
palette. The other Allegro on this program is the Allegro appassionato, Op. 70,
one of the best known of Saint-Sans works. Like the Op. 29 Allegro, it also exists
in a version for piano and orchestra, but in this case, the concertante version has
been vastly eclipsed in popularity by the solo piano version. The piece begins with
a three note motif in heavy octaves (F#-G#-B#), which because of the order of notes
and lack of harmony, is initially tonally disorienting a not unusual trick for Saint-

4 13
faux finale o Saint-Sans menace brivement de conclure le morceau dans le
mode parallle de sol mineur. La Fugue n4 (Allegro moderato), quatre voix, est de
loin la plus chromatique et dissonante du recueil, du moins en ce qui concerne ses
sections douverture et de conclusion. Le sujet sannonce par un saut de deux notes
sur des valeurs longues qui sont trs droutantes du point de vue tonal (fa dise mi
bmol), perptuant le penchant quavait parfois Saint-Sans pour commencer ainsi
ses morceaux, comme il le fait dans les Opus 70 et 97 du prsent programme. Le
sujet continue par une longue squence de croches sinueuses, o il tablit enfin la
tonalit de sol mineur, mais peine. Une bonne part de la partie centrale de la fugue
est bien moins dissonante, dans un registre plus aigu, et parfois mme intimiste.
Lpisode situ exactement au centre de la fugue est constitu de triolets dans le
registre aigu, et dans un la bmol majeur trs mlodieux, aussi loign que possible
de louverture, tous les points de vue. La Fugue n5 (Andantino quasi allegretto),
trois voix et en mi majeur, est par de nombreux aspects semblable la Fugue
n2 : 3/8, lgre, chaloupe, chaleureuse et sduisante. Le sujet est simple, une
brve arabesque suivie dun saut doctave et dun trille. Cette page est trs efficace,
intervenant comme elle le fait entre limposante quatrime fugue et le paroxysme de
la Fugue n6 (Maestoso, poco allegro), la plus longue du recueil. Ecrite en ut majeur,
elle commence et se termine sur un air de clbration, ds que slve son sujet
initial de quatre notes lentes sur une gamme descendante, suivies des quatre mmes
notes slevant deux octaves plus haut et quatre fois plus vite. Le sujet continue
alors de se drouler pendant deux autres mesures, et finit par atteindre une dure
de 31 notes. Le fait de devoir traiter un sujet aussi long en un contrepoint continu
peut reprsenter un formidable dfi, mais Saint-Sans le relve avec une aisance qui
na rien de surprenant. Cette fugue comporte cinq pisodes principaux. Le second
est une dclaration plus chromatique et anxieuse dans la tonalit loigne de si
mineur, sur des doubles croches. La tonalit de si mineur pourrait mme symboliser
la mort: elle se situe lextrme oppos de la gamme chromatique dut (la tonalit
du morceau), et lre baroque, si mineur traduisait parfois un affect li la mort.
Le fait quil sagisse l de la dernire grande uvre de Saint-Sans pour le piano
12
Sans, who begins the Op. 97 Thme vari, and one of the Op. 161 Fugues with
similar maneuvers. The three notes are immediately fleshed out by an upward B#
dominant 7th arpeggio, however, and the ear is then properly aligned to the key of
C#. The three note motive proves ubiquitous throughout the fast tempo material in
the piece, initially with a surge of sequential sextuplet figures that all start with the
motive. As was the case with Op. 29, the Allegro appassionato is broken up by two
lyrical interludes, although much more fragile and intimate in nature than the more
ardent, ethereal and mysterious slow music in Op. 29.
The remaining hyper-virtuosic piece on this program, along with the two Allegri,
is the Thme vari, Op. 97. Both this work and the Op. 29 Allegro were initially
written as contest pieces for Paris Conservatory students, but with musical value
transcending the genre. Not surprisingly, the Thme vari is dedicated to the then
director of the conservatory: Ambroise Thomas, who was also one of the great
opera composers of the day, most famously for Mignon and Hamlet. The work
opens with a slow rhapsodic introduction containing much coloristic variety (and
opening, as aforementioned, with a sequence of notes in octaves that is initially
disorienting regarding the pieces tonality). The main theme is a lengthy chorale
in C Major with many surprising cadential harmonies in the second half, played in
contrasting registers. Then the 1st variation appears with abandon, with very quick
notes in arabesque-like figures, leading to broader sonorities and fast scales in 3rds.
It is particularly effective when one considers that variation forms usually gradually
accumulate energy in succeeding variations, whereas Saint-Sans goes for broke
immediately, right after the quiet, high register chords of the themes conclusion.
Variation 2 is the sole slow variation in the set, an intimate and passionate version of
the theme cast in the distant key of A flat major. The The 3rd variation is a brief, dry
witty scherzo, characterized by pairs of repeated notes and difficult runs in staccato
6ths confined to one hand at a time. This leads to an explosive variation in huge
sonorities, and fast sextuplets that sound convincingly like a finale. However, it is
basically a false finale, and is followed by an even more climactic variation that
features the original theme played at four times the original tempo.
5
The final work on this program represents a form that Saint-Sans had explored for
more than five decades, and one that he imbued not only with brilliant craft and
invention, but highly individual character. The Six Fugues, Op. 161 come off far less
as a collection of academic fugues and much more as a suite of dynamic character
pieces that follow a very effective dramatic arc. They are dedicated to Saint-Sanss
pupil Isidor Philipp (1863-1958), a brilliant pianist, composer and pedagogue in his
own right. The four-voiced Fugue No. 1 (Allegro moderato), in A Major, proceeds
through several exploratory episodes where Saint-Sans subjects the theme
frequently to inversion (turning the theme upside down) and stretto (thematic entries
very closely spaced, piling on top of one another). J.S. Bach generally used stretto
at a single climactic point in many of his fugues, but Saint-Sans uses it frequently
within many of the fugues, almost with abandon at times. At one climactic point in
the first fugue, Saint-Sans also has the theme in augmentation, where it is intoned
with radiant energy in the bass. Fugue No. 2 (Poco allegro grazioso), in E fat major,
is lighter and lilting in character. Its 3 voice texture is given added energy by an
intermittent countersubject in running 16th notes. Fugue No. 3 (Allegretto) is the
scherzo of the set, a G Major 3-voice fugue on a fanfare motive characterized by
pairs of repeated notes. Sprightly, complex and quite difficult, the fugue ends just
after a final fake out where Saint-Sans briefly threatens to end the piece in the
parallel mode of G minor. Fugue No. 4 (Allegro moderato), in 4 voices, is by far the
most chromatic, dissonant one of the set, at least in its opening and closing sections.
The subject announces itself with a leap of two notes in long values that are tonally
very disorienting (F#-Eb), continuing Saint-Sans penchant for sometimes starting
pieces in this manner, as he does with Opp. 70 and 97 on this program. The subject
continues with a long sequence of twisty 8th notes, where he finally defines the key
as G minor, but just barely. Much of the middle of the fugue is much less dissonant,
in a higher register, and even sometimes intimate in character. The episode at the
exact center of the fugue is in high register triplets, and in a very mellifluous A flat
major, as distant in every respect from the opening as is imaginable. Fugue No. 5
(Andantino quasi allegretto), a 3 voice fugue in E Major, is in many ways similar to
6 11
perchs de la conclusion du thme. La deuxime variation est lunique variation lente
de la srie, version intime et passionne crite dans la tonalit lointaine de la bmol
majeur. La troisime variation est un bref scherzo pince sans rire caractris par des
paires de notes rptes et des traits difficiles sur des sixtes staccato sur une seule
main la fois. Vient ensuite une variation explosive, avec des sonorits titanesques
et des sextolets rapides qui campent un finale fort convaincant. Fondamentalement,
il sagit toutefois dun faux finale , et il est suivi par une variation encore plus
paroxystique qui prsente le thme original jou un tempo quatre fois plus rapide
quau dpart.
La dernire uvre propose ici reprsente une forme que Saint-Sans avait
explore pendant plus dun demi-sicle, et laquelle il avait non seulement apport
une habilet et une inventivit magistrales, mais aussi une marque extrmement
personnelle. Les Six Fugues, op. 161 apparaissent bien moins comme un recueil
de fugues acadmiques que comme une suite de pices de caractre dynamiques
qui suivent un arc dramatique trs efficace. Elles sont ddies llve de Saint-
Sans Isidor Philipp (1863-1958), brillant pianiste, compositeur et pdagogue
part entire. La Fugue n 1 (Allegro moderato) en la majeur, quatre voix, traverse
plusieurs pisodes exploratoires o Saint-Sans soumet frquemment le thme
des inversions (en le retournant) et des strettes (entres thmatiques trs serres
qui sempilent les unes sur les autres). J.S. Bach utilisait gnralement les strettes
un point culminant unique de ses fugues, mais Saint-Sans y a souvent recours
dans un grand nombre des siennes, parfois presque corps perdu. A un moment
paroxystique de la premire fugue, Saint-Sans prsente galement le thme en
augmentation, la basse lentonnant avec une nergie radieuse. La Fugue n 2 (Poco
allegro grazioso), en mi bmol majeur, est de caractre plus lger et cadenc. Sa
texture trois voix reoit davantage dnergie par un contresujet intermittent sur des
traits de doubles croches. La Fugue n 3 (Allegretto) est le scherzo de la srie, fugue
trois voix en sol majeur sur un motif de fanfare caractris par des paires de notes
rptes. Enjoue, complexe et fort difficile, la fugue sachve juste aprs un dernier
la version concertante a largement t clipse par celle de la version pour piano
seul. Louvrage dbute sur un motif pesant de trois notes en octaves (fa dise sol
dise si dise), qui cause de lordre des notes et de labsence dharmonie, est
tout dabord dconcertant du point de vue tonal ; cela na rien dinhabituel chez
Saint-Sans, qui dmarre le Thme vari, op. 97 et lune des Fugues, op. 161 par
des procds similaires. Toutefois, les trois notes sont immdiatement toffes par
un arpge de septime ascendant sur la dominante de si dise, et loreille sadapte
alors la tonalit dut dise. Le motif de trois notes savre ambigu tout le long du
matriau tempo rapide du morceau, tout dabord avec la pousse de dessins de
sextuplets squentiels qui commencent tous par le motif. Comme dans le cas de
lOpus 29, lAllegro appassionato est fragment par deux interludes lyriques, de
nature nanmoins bien plus fragile et intime que la musique lente plus ardente,
thre et mystrieuse de lOpus 29.
Outre les deux Allegri, une pice hyper-virtuose incluse ici, est le Thme vari, op.
97. A lorigine, cet ouvrage et lAllegro, op. 29 avaient t conus comme morceaux
de concours pour les lves du Conservatoire de Paris, mais leur valeur musicale
transcenda cette fonction. Il nest gure tonnant que le Thme vari soit ddi
Ambroise Thomas, qui tait alors directeur du Conservatoire et qui tait aussi
lun des grands compositeurs dopra de lpoque, surtout connu pour Mignon et
Hamlet. Le morceau dbute par une lente introduction rhapsodique dune grande
varit de coloris (qui souvre, comme on la vu plus haut, sur une squence de
notes par octaves de prime abord droutante par rapport la tonalit de louvrage).
Le thme principal est un long choral en ut majeur avec dans sa seconde partie
de nombreuses harmonies cadentielles surprenantes, joues sur des registres
contrasts. Puis cest la premire variation, qui slance, avec des dessins de notes
trs vives rappelant des arabesques, menant de plus amples sonorits et des
gammes rapides par tierces. Elle est particulirement efficace si lon considre quen
gnral, les variations emmagasinent peu peu de lnergie par vagues successives,
alors que Saint-Sans se lance demble, juste aprs les accords paisibles et haut
10
Fugue No. 2: in 3/8 time with a light, swaying quality, congenial and attractive. The
subject is simply a brief arabesque followed by an octave leap and a trill. It is very
effective coming in between the imposing 4th fugue and the climactic Fugue No.
6 (Maestoso, poco allegro) that is the longest of the set. Cast in C Major, it both
begins and ends with an air of celebration, right from its opening subject of four slow
descending scale notes, followed by the same 4 notes rising two octaves higher and
four times faster! The subject then continues to spin out for another two measures,
and ends up being 31 notes in length. Treating such a long subject to continuous
counterpoint can be a formidable challenge, but not surprisingly, Saint-Sans rises
very easily to the occasion. There are five main episodes to this fugue. The second
is a more chromatic, angst-ridden statement in the distant key of B minor in 16th
notes. The key of B minor may even symbolize death: it is at the opposite end of the
chromatic scale from C (the key of the piece), and B minor sometimes represented
an affect of death in the baroque era. The fact that this is the final major piano work
by Saint-Sans adds further intrigue to this potential key-related symbolism. The
B minor episode gradually dissipates, the note values get slower and Saint-Sans
wanders through various keys via some surprising modulations, eventually reaching
another distant key of E flat major in a high, poignant register. Fragile in character,
it could not be more contrasting in every way to the previous episode. Via a series
of sequences, the musical material gradually descends and alights on a repeated
G dominant pedal tone. Saint-Sans slowly builds from here to a resplendent
climax where the four slow descending notes of the fugue are stacked both above
and below the faster notes at the end of the fugue subject. The final climax is in
huge, heavy sonorities, ending with a final, explosive C Major chord, as bold and
appropriate a final statement as Saint-Sans could make in his piano music. Here,
he seems to be also suggesting the realm of the pipe organ, the other keyboard
instrument to which Saint-Sans made such indelible and dynamic contributions.
7
 Camille Saint-Sans (1835-1921):
Intgrale des ouvres pour piano 2
Geoffrey Burleson
Figure sminale de lhistoire de la musique romantique franaise, Camille Saint-Sans
fut galement lun des plus grands prodiges du clavier de ces deux cents dernires
annes. Quand il donna son premier rcital de piano lge de dix ans la Salle
Pleyel, il annona lassistance quen guise de bis, il aurait le plaisir dinterprter
au choix nimporte laquelle des trente-deux sonates de Beethoven. Bien des
annes aprs, Liszt le qualifia de meilleur organiste de la plante. Saint-Sans fut un
compositeur prolifique dans tous les genres, aussi le fait quil ait laiss une quantit
plthorique de pices pour lorgue et pour le piano na-t-il rien dtonnant.

Le second volume de mon parcours intgral des uvres pour piano de Saint-Sans
est ax sur les formes baroques et classiques que le compositeur adorait transposer
vers des sphres plus romantiques, et quil transformait grce son dynamisme,
son inventivit et son ingniosit : des mouvements en forme sonate-allegro, des
suites, des sries de thmes et variations, et des fugues. LAllegro daprs le 3me
Concerto, op. 29 est essentiellement une version pour piano seul seul du mouvement
initial du Concerto pour piano n3, avec les principaux lments du matriau de
lorchestre ingnieusement combins et intgrs dans la partie de piano soliste. Si
lintroduction du morceau prsente le thme principal, elle le fait par le biais de
textures proto-impressionnistes qui prfigurent lunivers des Jeux deaux de Ravel.
Celles-ci mnent une exposition dclamatoire du thme douverture une fois que
le corps principal du mouvement a t atteint. Les sections virtuoses en nombreuses
cascades alternent avec deux passages rhapsodiques lents et lyriques, et le morceau
comprend des exemples dharmonies modales exotiques que Saint-Sans allait
de plus en plus frquemment incorporer sa palette compositionnelle. Lautre
Allegro du prsent programme est lAllegro appassionato, op. 70, lune des uvres
les plus clbres de Saint-Sans. A linstar de lAllegro, op. 29, il existe galement
dans une version pour piano et orchestre, mais en loccurrence, la popularit de
CAMILLE Saint-Sans
8HNH International 9
 Camille Saint-Sans (1835-1921):
Intgrale des ouvres pour piano 2
Geoffrey Burleson
Figure sminale de lhistoire de la musique romantique franaise, Camille Saint-Sans
fut galement lun des plus grands prodiges du clavier de ces deux cents dernires
annes. Quand il donna son premier rcital de piano lge de dix ans la Salle
Pleyel, il annona lassistance quen guise de bis, il aurait le plaisir dinterprter
au choix nimporte laquelle des trente-deux sonates de Beethoven. Bien des
annes aprs, Liszt le qualifia de meilleur organiste de la plante. Saint-Sans fut un
compositeur prolifique dans tous les genres, aussi le fait quil ait laiss une quantit
plthorique de pices pour lorgue et pour le piano na-t-il rien dtonnant.

Le second volume de mon parcours intgral des uvres pour piano de Saint-Sans
est ax sur les formes baroques et classiques que le compositeur adorait transposer
vers des sphres plus romantiques, et quil transformait grce son dynamisme,
son inventivit et son ingniosit : des mouvements en forme sonate-allegro, des
suites, des sries de thmes et variations, et des fugues. LAllegro daprs le 3me
Concerto, op. 29 est essentiellement une version pour piano seul seul du mouvement
initial du Concerto pour piano n3, avec les principaux lments du matriau de
lorchestre ingnieusement combins et intgrs dans la partie de piano soliste. Si
lintroduction du morceau prsente le thme principal, elle le fait par le biais de
textures proto-impressionnistes qui prfigurent lunivers des Jeux deaux de Ravel.
Celles-ci mnent une exposition dclamatoire du thme douverture une fois que
le corps principal du mouvement a t atteint. Les sections virtuoses en nombreuses
cascades alternent avec deux passages rhapsodiques lents et lyriques, et le morceau
comprend des exemples dharmonies modales exotiques que Saint-Sans allait
de plus en plus frquemment incorporer sa palette compositionnelle. Lautre
Allegro du prsent programme est lAllegro appassionato, op. 70, lune des uvres
les plus clbres de Saint-Sans. A linstar de lAllegro, op. 29, il existe galement
dans une version pour piano et orchestre, mais en loccurrence, la popularit de
CAMILLE Saint-Sans
8HNH International 9
la version concertante a largement t clipse par celle de la version pour piano
seul. Louvrage dbute sur un motif pesant de trois notes en octaves (fa dise sol
dise si dise), qui cause de lordre des notes et de labsence dharmonie, est
tout dabord dconcertant du point de vue tonal ; cela na rien dinhabituel chez
Saint-Sans, qui dmarre le Thme vari, op. 97 et lune des Fugues, op. 161 par
des procds similaires. Toutefois, les trois notes sont immdiatement toffes par
un arpge de septime ascendant sur la dominante de si dise, et loreille sadapte
alors la tonalit dut dise. Le motif de trois notes savre ambigu tout le long du
matriau tempo rapide du morceau, tout dabord avec la pousse de dessins de
sextuplets squentiels qui commencent tous par le motif. Comme dans le cas de
lOpus 29, lAllegro appassionato est fragment par deux interludes lyriques, de
nature nanmoins bien plus fragile et intime que la musique lente plus ardente,
thre et mystrieuse de lOpus 29.
Outre les deux Allegri, une pice hyper-virtuose incluse ici, est le Thme vari, op.
97. A lorigine, cet ouvrage et lAllegro, op. 29 avaient t conus comme morceaux
de concours pour les lves du Conservatoire de Paris, mais leur valeur musicale
transcenda cette fonction. Il nest gure tonnant que le Thme vari soit ddi
Ambroise Thomas, qui tait alors directeur du Conservatoire et qui tait aussi
lun des grands compositeurs dopra de lpoque, surtout connu pour Mignon et
Hamlet. Le morceau dbute par une lente introduction rhapsodique dune grande
varit de coloris (qui souvre, comme on la vu plus haut, sur une squence de
notes par octaves de prime abord droutante par rapport la tonalit de louvrage).
Le thme principal est un long choral en ut majeur avec dans sa seconde partie
de nombreuses harmonies cadentielles surprenantes, joues sur des registres
contrasts. Puis cest la premire variation, qui slance, avec des dessins de notes
trs vives rappelant des arabesques, menant de plus amples sonorits et des
gammes rapides par tierces. Elle est particulirement efficace si lon considre quen
gnral, les variations emmagasinent peu peu de lnergie par vagues successives,
alors que Saint-Sans se lance demble, juste aprs les accords paisibles et haut
10
Fugue No. 2: in 3/8 time with a light, swaying quality, congenial and attractive. The
subject is simply a brief arabesque followed by an octave leap and a trill. It is very
effective coming in between the imposing 4th fugue and the climactic Fugue No.
6 (Maestoso, poco allegro) that is the longest of the set. Cast in C Major, it both
begins and ends with an air of celebration, right from its opening subject of four slow
descending scale notes, followed by the same 4 notes rising two octaves higher and
four times faster! The subject then continues to spin out for another two measures,
and ends up being 31 notes in length. Treating such a long subject to continuous
counterpoint can be a formidable challenge, but not surprisingly, Saint-Sans rises
very easily to the occasion. There are five main episodes to this fugue. The second
is a more chromatic, angst-ridden statement in the distant key of B minor in 16th
notes. The key of B minor may even symbolize death: it is at the opposite end of the
chromatic scale from C (the key of the piece), and B minor sometimes represented
an affect of death in the baroque era. The fact that this is the final major piano work
by Saint-Sans adds further intrigue to this potential key-related symbolism. The
B minor episode gradually dissipates, the note values get slower and Saint-Sans
wanders through various keys via some surprising modulations, eventually reaching
another distant key of E flat major in a high, poignant register. Fragile in character,
it could not be more contrasting in every way to the previous episode. Via a series
of sequences, the musical material gradually descends and alights on a repeated
G dominant pedal tone. Saint-Sans slowly builds from here to a resplendent
climax where the four slow descending notes of the fugue are stacked both above
and below the faster notes at the end of the fugue subject. The final climax is in
huge, heavy sonorities, ending with a final, explosive C Major chord, as bold and
appropriate a final statement as Saint-Sans could make in his piano music. Here,
he seems to be also suggesting the realm of the pipe organ, the other keyboard
instrument to which Saint-Sans made such indelible and dynamic contributions.
7
The final work on this program represents a form that Saint-Sans had explored for
more than five decades, and one that he imbued not only with brilliant craft and
invention, but highly individual character. The Six Fugues, Op. 161 come off far less
as a collection of academic fugues and much more as a suite of dynamic character
pieces that follow a very effective dramatic arc. They are dedicated to Saint-Sanss
pupil Isidor Philipp (1863-1958), a brilliant pianist, composer and pedagogue in his
own right. The four-voiced Fugue No. 1 (Allegro moderato), in A Major, proceeds
through several exploratory episodes where Saint-Sans subjects the theme
frequently to inversion (turning the theme upside down) and stretto (thematic entries
very closely spaced, piling on top of one another). J.S. Bach generally used stretto
at a single climactic point in many of his fugues, but Saint-Sans uses it frequently
within many of the fugues, almost with abandon at times. At one climactic point in
the first fugue, Saint-Sans also has the theme in augmentation, where it is intoned
with radiant energy in the bass. Fugue No. 2 (Poco allegro grazioso), in E fat major,
is lighter and lilting in character. Its 3 voice texture is given added energy by an
intermittent countersubject in running 16th notes. Fugue No. 3 (Allegretto) is the
scherzo of the set, a G Major 3-voice fugue on a fanfare motive characterized by
pairs of repeated notes. Sprightly, complex and quite difficult, the fugue ends just
after a final fake out where Saint-Sans briefly threatens to end the piece in the
parallel mode of G minor. Fugue No. 4 (Allegro moderato), in 4 voices, is by far the
most chromatic, dissonant one of the set, at least in its opening and closing sections.
The subject announces itself with a leap of two notes in long values that are tonally
very disorienting (F#-Eb), continuing Saint-Sans penchant for sometimes starting
pieces in this manner, as he does with Opp. 70 and 97 on this program. The subject
continues with a long sequence of twisty 8th notes, where he finally defines the key
as G minor, but just barely. Much of the middle of the fugue is much less dissonant,
in a higher register, and even sometimes intimate in character. The episode at the
exact center of the fugue is in high register triplets, and in a very mellifluous A flat
major, as distant in every respect from the opening as is imaginable. Fugue No. 5
(Andantino quasi allegretto), a 3 voice fugue in E Major, is in many ways similar to
6 11
perchs de la conclusion du thme. La deuxime variation est lunique variation lente
de la srie, version intime et passionne crite dans la tonalit lointaine de la bmol
majeur. La troisime variation est un bref scherzo pince sans rire caractris par des
paires de notes rptes et des traits difficiles sur des sixtes staccato sur une seule
main la fois. Vient ensuite une variation explosive, avec des sonorits titanesques
et des sextolets rapides qui campent un finale fort convaincant. Fondamentalement,
il sagit toutefois dun faux finale , et il est suivi par une variation encore plus
paroxystique qui prsente le thme original jou un tempo quatre fois plus rapide
quau dpart.
La dernire uvre propose ici reprsente une forme que Saint-Sans avait
explore pendant plus dun demi-sicle, et laquelle il avait non seulement apport
une habilet et une inventivit magistrales, mais aussi une marque extrmement
personnelle. Les Six Fugues, op. 161 apparaissent bien moins comme un recueil
de fugues acadmiques que comme une suite de pices de caractre dynamiques
qui suivent un arc dramatique trs efficace. Elles sont ddies llve de Saint-
Sans Isidor Philipp (1863-1958), brillant pianiste, compositeur et pdagogue
part entire. La Fugue n 1 (Allegro moderato) en la majeur, quatre voix, traverse
plusieurs pisodes exploratoires o Saint-Sans soumet frquemment le thme
des inversions (en le retournant) et des strettes (entres thmatiques trs serres
qui sempilent les unes sur les autres). J.S. Bach utilisait gnralement les strettes
un point culminant unique de ses fugues, mais Saint-Sans y a souvent recours
dans un grand nombre des siennes, parfois presque corps perdu. A un moment
paroxystique de la premire fugue, Saint-Sans prsente galement le thme en
augmentation, la basse lentonnant avec une nergie radieuse. La Fugue n 2 (Poco
allegro grazioso), en mi bmol majeur, est de caractre plus lger et cadenc. Sa
texture trois voix reoit davantage dnergie par un contresujet intermittent sur des
traits de doubles croches. La Fugue n 3 (Allegretto) est le scherzo de la srie, fugue
trois voix en sol majeur sur un motif de fanfare caractris par des paires de notes
rptes. Enjoue, complexe et fort difficile, la fugue sachve juste aprs un dernier
faux finale o Saint-Sans menace brivement de conclure le morceau dans le
mode parallle de sol mineur. La Fugue n4 (Allegro moderato), quatre voix, est de
loin la plus chromatique et dissonante du recueil, du moins en ce qui concerne ses
sections douverture et de conclusion. Le sujet sannonce par un saut de deux notes
sur des valeurs longues qui sont trs droutantes du point de vue tonal (fa dise mi
bmol), perptuant le penchant quavait parfois Saint-Sans pour commencer ainsi
ses morceaux, comme il le fait dans les Opus 70 et 97 du prsent programme. Le
sujet continue par une longue squence de croches sinueuses, o il tablit enfin la
tonalit de sol mineur, mais peine. Une bonne part de la partie centrale de la fugue
est bien moins dissonante, dans un registre plus aigu, et parfois mme intimiste.
Lpisode situ exactement au centre de la fugue est constitu de triolets dans le
registre aigu, et dans un la bmol majeur trs mlodieux, aussi loign que possible
de louverture, tous les points de vue. La Fugue n5 (Andantino quasi allegretto),
trois voix et en mi majeur, est par de nombreux aspects semblable la Fugue
n2 : 3/8, lgre, chaloupe, chaleureuse et sduisante. Le sujet est simple, une
brve arabesque suivie dun saut doctave et dun trille. Cette page est trs efficace,
intervenant comme elle le fait entre limposante quatrime fugue et le paroxysme de
la Fugue n6 (Maestoso, poco allegro), la plus longue du recueil. Ecrite en ut majeur,
elle commence et se termine sur un air de clbration, ds que slve son sujet
initial de quatre notes lentes sur une gamme descendante, suivies des quatre mmes
notes slevant deux octaves plus haut et quatre fois plus vite. Le sujet continue
alors de se drouler pendant deux autres mesures, et finit par atteindre une dure
de 31 notes. Le fait de devoir traiter un sujet aussi long en un contrepoint continu
peut reprsenter un formidable dfi, mais Saint-Sans le relve avec une aisance qui
na rien de surprenant. Cette fugue comporte cinq pisodes principaux. Le second
est une dclaration plus chromatique et anxieuse dans la tonalit loigne de si
mineur, sur des doubles croches. La tonalit de si mineur pourrait mme symboliser
la mort: elle se situe lextrme oppos de la gamme chromatique dut (la tonalit
du morceau), et lre baroque, si mineur traduisait parfois un affect li la mort.
Le fait quil sagisse l de la dernire grande uvre de Saint-Sans pour le piano
12
Sans, who begins the Op. 97 Thme vari, and one of the Op. 161 Fugues with
similar maneuvers. The three notes are immediately fleshed out by an upward B#
dominant 7th arpeggio, however, and the ear is then properly aligned to the key of
C#. The three note motive proves ubiquitous throughout the fast tempo material in
the piece, initially with a surge of sequential sextuplet figures that all start with the
motive. As was the case with Op. 29, the Allegro appassionato is broken up by two
lyrical interludes, although much more fragile and intimate in nature than the more
ardent, ethereal and mysterious slow music in Op. 29.
The remaining hyper-virtuosic piece on this program, along with the two Allegri,
is the Thme vari, Op. 97. Both this work and the Op. 29 Allegro were initially
written as contest pieces for Paris Conservatory students, but with musical value
transcending the genre. Not surprisingly, the Thme vari is dedicated to the then
director of the conservatory: Ambroise Thomas, who was also one of the great
opera composers of the day, most famously for Mignon and Hamlet. The work
opens with a slow rhapsodic introduction containing much coloristic variety (and
opening, as aforementioned, with a sequence of notes in octaves that is initially
disorienting regarding the pieces tonality). The main theme is a lengthy chorale
in C Major with many surprising cadential harmonies in the second half, played in
contrasting registers. Then the 1st variation appears with abandon, with very quick
notes in arabesque-like figures, leading to broader sonorities and fast scales in 3rds.
It is particularly effective when one considers that variation forms usually gradually
accumulate energy in succeeding variations, whereas Saint-Sans goes for broke
immediately, right after the quiet, high register chords of the themes conclusion.
Variation 2 is the sole slow variation in the set, an intimate and passionate version of
the theme cast in the distant key of A flat major. The The 3rd variation is a brief, dry
witty scherzo, characterized by pairs of repeated notes and difficult runs in staccato
6ths confined to one hand at a time. This leads to an explosive variation in huge
sonorities, and fast sextuplets that sound convincingly like a finale. However, it is
basically a false finale, and is followed by an even more climactic variation that
features the original theme played at four times the original tempo.
5
Camille Saint-Sans (1835-1921): rend ce symbolisme tonal potentiel dautant plus fascinant. Lpisode en si mineur
Complete Piano WORKS 2 se dissipe progressivement, les valeurs des notes se font plus lentes et Saint-Sans
vagabonde dans diverses tonalits par le biais de modulations tonnantes, finissant
A seminal figure in the history of French Romantic music, Camille Saint-Sans (1835- par atteindre une autre tonalit lointaine de mi bmol majeur dans un registre aigu
1921) was also one of the greatest keyboard prodigies of the past 200 years. When poignant. Son caractre fragile ne saurait contraster davantage, sous tous les angles,
he made his piano recital debut at the age of 10 in the Salle Pleyel, he announced to avec lpisode prcdent. Le matriau musical opre une descente progressive par
the audience that he would be pleased to perform any of Beethovens 32 sonatas as une srie de squences, finissant sur une pdale de dominante rpte (sol). A
an encore. A good deal later, Liszt referred to him as the greatest organist on earth. partir de l, Saint-Sans difie lentement un apoge resplendissant o les quatre
Saint-Sans was a prolific composer in all genres, and thus it is not at all surprising notes lentes descendantes sont amonceles la fois au-dessus et en dessous des
that he created a bountiful body of works for both organ and piano. notes plus rapides la fin du sujet fugu. La culmination finale est faite dnormes et
pesantes sonorits, sachevant par un dernier accord dut majeur explosif, lpilogue
Volume 2 of my traversal of Saint-Sans complete piano works focuses on the le plus audacieux et pertinent que Saint-Sans pouvait apporter sa musique
baroque and classical forms that the composer loved recasting into more Romantic pour piano. Ici, il semble galement se rfrer au domaine du grand orgue, lautre
realms, and transformed by his dynamic, imaginative and ingenious ideas: sonata- instrument clavier dont il marqua le rpertoire de faon si indlbile et dynamique.
allegro form movements, suites, theme and variations sets, and fugues. The
Allegro daprs le 3me Concerto, Op. 29, is essentially a solo piano version of Geoffrey Burleson
the opening movement of the Third Piano Concerto, with the essential elements Traduction franaise de David Ylla-Somers
of the orchestras material ingeniously combined and integrated within the solo
piano part. The pieces introduction actually presents the main theme, but via proto-
impressionistic watery textures that prefigure the world of Ravels Jeux deaux. This
leads to a declamatory statement of the opening theme once the main body of
the movement is reached. The often cascading virtuosic sections alternate with two
slow, lyrical rhapsodic passages, and the piece includes instances of exotic modal
harmonies that Saint-Sans would increasingly incorporate into his compositional
palette. The other Allegro on this program is the Allegro appassionato, Op. 70,
one of the best known of Saint-Sans works. Like the Op. 29 Allegro, it also exists
in a version for piano and orchestra, but in this case, the concertante version has
been vastly eclipsed in popularity by the solo piano version. The piece begins with
a three note motif in heavy octaves (F#-G#-B#), which because of the order of notes
and lack of harmony, is initially tonally disorienting a not unusual trick for Saint-

4 13
Geoffrey Burleson

Geoffrey Burleson has performed to wide acclaim throughout Europe and North
America, and is equally active as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician
and jazz performer. His numerous solo appearances include prominent venues
in Paris, New York, Rome, Athens, Mexico City, Rotterdam, Chicago, Boston,
Washington, Switzerland, England, Spain, and elsewhere. He made his New
York City solo recital dbut at Merkin Hall in 2000, sponsored by the League of
Composers/ISCM. His appearances as concerto soloist include the Boston Musica
Viva, Arlington Philharmonic, New England Philharmonic, and the Holland Symfonia
in The Netherlands, in repertoire ranging from Mozart, Weber and Saint-Sans to
Gershwin and Klaas de Vries. Geoffrey Burleson is principal pianist with the Boston
Musica Viva, the New York Art Ensemble, David Sanfords Pittsburgh Collective,
and is a member of Princeton Universitys Richardson Chamber Players. He has also
performed and recorded frequently in duos with cellist Matt Haimovitz, violinist Mary
Rowell (from ETHEL), and vocalist Maria Tegzes. A laureate of the International Piano
Recording Competition (Silver Medal), and the Vienna Modern Masters International
Performers Competition, he was also the recipient of a DAAD Grant from the
German government to support a residency at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. A
graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Stony Brook
University (D.M.A.), he numbers among his principal teachers Gilbert Kalish, Leonard
Shure, Veronica Jochum, Lillian Freundlich, Tinka Knopf, and Audrey Bart Brown. His
recordings include the complete piano music of Roy Harris for Naxos (8.559664).
He teaches piano at Princeton University, and is Associate Professor of Music and
Director of Piano Studies at Hunter College-City University of New York.
1 Allegro daprs le 3e Concerto, Op. 29 10:19
Suite pour le Piano, Op. 90 11:10
2 I. Prlude et Fugue 03:08
3 II. Menuet 03:40
4 III. Gavotte 02:13
5 IV. Gigue 02:09
6 Allegro appassionato, Op. 70 05:44
7 Thme Vari, Op. 97 06:56
Six Fugues pour le Piano, Op. 161 19:51
8 I. Allegro moderato 04:05
9 II. Poco allegro grazioso 02:59
0 III. Allegretto 02:39
! IV. Allegro moderato 02:51
@ V. Andantino quasi allegretto 02:28
# VI. Maestoso, poco allegro 04:49

Burleson plays with enormous flair and style... superb! TOTAL TIME: 53:38
Fanfare on Naxos (8.559664)
A top-notch pianist. Burlesons piquancy and poetry
blended beautifully. The Washington Post

14 3
 Camille Saint-Sans
Complete Piano WORKS 2

Geoffrey Burleson, piano

Recording Date: October 2011

Recording Venue: Patrych Sound Studios, USA
Producers: Joseph Patrych and Geoffrey Burleson
Engineering: Joseph Patrych
Mastering: Joseph Patrych
Booklet Notes: Geoffrey Burleson
French translation by David Ylla-Somers
Artist photograps by Jazmin Fillion
Cover Art: Gro Thorsen: Untitled, 25x25cm, oil on aluminium, 2010
www.grothorsen.com
Support for this project was provided by a PSC-CUNY Award,
jointly funded by The Professional Staff Congress and
The City University of New York.

GEOFFREY BURLESON
2
Jazmin Fillion 15
 Saint-Sans
COMPLETE Piano WORKS 2

CAMILLE Saint-Sans Geoffrey Burleson

16
HNH International 1
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM

Schulhoff
Piano WoRKS 1
PaRtita SuSi Suite VaRiationS and Fugato

caroline Weichert
5
 CAMILLE SAINT-SANS
COMPLETE PIANO WORKS 2

Saint-Sans was a piano virtuoso and a composer of

SAINT-SANS: COMPLETE PIANO WORKS 2

SAINT-SANS: COMPLETE PIANO WORKS 2

bravura brilliance. His Six Fugues, Op. 161 are masterly and
complex character studies, devoid of academic leanings,
whilst his famous Allegro appassionato, Op. 70 possesses
brilliance and lyrical depth. The Thme vari, Op. 97 is
witty and explosive, the Suite, Op. 90 full of charm, and the
Allegro, Op. 29 possessed of dazzling breadth.

1 Allegro daprs le 3e Concerto, Op. 29 10:19 GEOFFREY BURLESON

2-5 Suite pour le Piano, Op. 90 11:10

7
6 Allegro appassionato, Op. 70 5:44

47313 96052 1
7 Thme vari, Op. 97 6:56
8-# Six Fugues pour le piano, Op. 161 19:51

TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 53:38

& 2012 HNH International Ltd. Manufactured in Germany. Unauthorised copying,

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hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting of this recording is prohibited.
Booklet notes in English and French. Distributed by Naxos.