Saint-Saëns: Violin Works

Sound 9      Libretto 9     Repertoire 8      Interpretation 7.5

***** Coup de cœur

“… Cecilia Zilliacus is an excellent musician and so is Christian Ihle Hadland, who plays like an equal partner and not a mere accompanist. This is one of the best recordings of Sonata 1 that I have heard. She plays with drive and breadth of tone color, and her quiet passages are just as riveting as her loud passages…”

Chamber Choice

Performance *****      Recording *****

“… With everything captured in superb sound this is a joy from start to finish.”

“Plenty of pleasure to be found in violin sonatas by a French master.”

“This excellent new disc from BIS is a timely reminder about what a fine and wide-ranging composer Camille Saint-Saëns was… a wholly enjoyable and very attractive programme performed and recorded with great skill and sensitivity…”

Editor’s Choice – Chamber Section

“…The much-loved Bercause is here offered as a harp transcription by Fitspatrick himself. It is a lovely combination, with textures in turn dramatic and refreshing. The harp’s role moves between beautifully supporting and scintillating, and the violin offers some earnest speech-like lyrical moments … it’s a beautiful and really effective sound world…”