Monique Lapins 2nd Violinist with NZSQ Photo: Supplied
French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was not only a virtuoso keyboard player and composer, but also a conductor, caricaturist, philosopher, and writer of everything from plays to poetry to essays on mathematical and scientific subjects.
The 'Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op 28' seems to fit with the precocity of such a mind. It is one of the pieces that resulted from a period of French fascination with Spanish music and culture (eg Bizet's 'Carmen').
Saint-Saëns wrote it for the Spanish virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate to play, which he did, ensuring the work's enduring popularity among violinists.
Recorded in Nelson Centre of Musical Arts by RNZ
Sound engineer: Darryl Stack
