Saint Saens: Transcriptions

No one knows the full extent of pianist Cyprien Katsaris' programmatic imagination. He likely doesn’t either. His incredible technique knows no boundaries, and now that he’s created his own label, Piano 21, he’s completely bypassed any possible publishing problems.

Never one to follow suit, this Franco-Cypriot pianist contributes to the centenary celebration of Camille Saint-Saens’ death in his own unique way: a double album filled with dazzling recordings. They range from the Carnaval des Animaux(complete with interjections in four different languages in the number Pianistes!) to the first film music ever, L’Assassinat du Duc de Guise, written in 1908 (thanks to which Saint-Saëns will receive substantial royalties). Katsaris recorded this with precise time stamps so that it could also be used for the film's soundtrack, which is also available on DVD.

In between these two tracks, you’ll be delighted (and maybe even amused) to discover the edgy solo piano versions of Symphony No. 3(originally written, let’s not forget, for a large symphony orchestra, organ and four hand piano…), Georges Bizet’s famous transcription of Deuxième Concerto pour piano and even Franz Liszt’s transcription of Danse macabre.In all cases, Cyprien Katsaris makes a few minor additions to better capture the original orchestral versions. This astonishing double album comprises of half a dozen pieces, including many rare arrangements by both Saint-Saëns and others.