Given Saint-Saëns’ talents both as pianist and composer, it stood to reason that he would engage with the piano concerto genre early on. But he gave a clear renunciation of the “concerto brilliant” that was dominant in France at that time, declaring instead that “the solo part of a concerto must be set out, and treated, like a dramatic role”. He realised this concept of a “symphonic concerto” in this second piano concerto, composed in 1868. The solo part is technically very challenging, and at t...