The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns was composed in 1868 and is probably Saint-Saëns' most popular piano concerto. It was dedicated to Madame A. de Villers (née de Haber). At the première on 13 May the composer was the soloist and Anton Rubinstein conducted the orchestra. Saint-Saëns wrote the concerto in three weeks and had very little time to prepare for the première; consequently, the piece was not initially successful. The capricious changes in style provoked Zygmunt Stojowski to quip that it "begins with Bach and ends with Offenbach." Overview The piece follows the traditional form of three movements but allows for more freedom in tempo markings. Normally, the first movement is fast-paced, while the second is slower, but the first movement here is slow and the second movement has a scherzo-like quality, resulting in a form resembling a typical four-movement symphony but lacking the first movement (a form also represented by Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata). The movements in the concerto are: The concerto is scored for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, crash cymbals and strings. A performance lasts around 23 minutes. Influences The concerto, particularly the second movement, heavily influenced fellow French composer Gabriel Pierné's Piano Concerto in C minor of 1887. Georges Bizet wrote a transcription of the concerto for solo piano. The concerto is featured in the 2020 film "Nocturne". Recordings Benno Moiseiwitsch, piano, London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Basil Cameron. 1947, report CD Naxos 2002, Benno Moiseiwitsch, piano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Sir Eugene Goossens 1960, report CD Classica (Les introuvables) 2020 (3e mouvement) Moura Lympany, piano, London Philharmonic, dir. Jean Martinon. LP London records 1951 Arthur Rubinstein, piano, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos (Live 19/04/1953). CD Guild Music 2009 Emil Gilels, piano, Orchestre de La Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, conductor André Cluytens. LP Columbia 11/1954, report SACD Praga 2013. Diapason d'or. piano concerto n°4 S Daniel Adni, piano, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Groves. LP EMI 1976 Arthur Rubinstein, piano, Symphony Of The Air, conductor Alfred Wallenstein LP RCA Victor 1958 report CD BMG Classics 1996 Malcolm Binns, piano, London Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Alexander Gibson. LP World Record Club 1968 Orazio Frugoni, piano, Pro Musica Symphony Vienna, conductor, Hans Swarosky (with concerto n°5). LP Turnabout/Vox 1976 Ruth Slenczynska, piano, Symphony of the Air, conductor Henry