Graham Rickson of The Arts Desk listens to the new Kansas City Symphony Saint-Saëns recording:
“Saint-Saëns’s La Muse et le Poéte is the rarity here, a 15-minute piece for violin, cello and orchestra. A mixture of symphonic poem and concerto, it’s a real find. Muse and poet are represented by rhapsodic violin solo and an earthier cello, and the two voices slowly find a way to work together. It’s impeccably structured, brilliantly orchestrated and highly melodic. … Noah Geller’s performance of the better known Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is excellent, aided by pin-sharp backing from Michael Stern’s Kansas City Symphony. The recorded balance is impeccable, the soloist ideally clear but never overbearing. … Jan Kraybill’s modern organ sounds suitably resplendent but she knows that the colours are more interesting than decibels. This is still a sonic spectacular though, and Saint-Saëns’s coda, where the music seems to accelerate whilst metrically slowing down, is terrific. Highly recommended.” —Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk