On May 26, Guillaume Vincent is the soloist of concerto No. 2 of Saint-Saëns. Obviously, the digital flamboyance of Guillaume Vincent is at the height of this score.
From the first notes of the original cadence that opens the Andante sostenuto, the touch of the pianist shines with its clarity, its transparency, the mobility of its features, formidable to ensure in this solitary and yet inflamed introduction. The orchestra punctuates this spectacular entrance with authority. The dialogue established in this first section highlights a writing whose virtuosity is not unlike that developed by the great predecessors of the French composer, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. Guillaume Vincent, demonstrative gesture, invests his whole body in this voluntary approach that knows how to match beautiful dynamic nuances. More relaxed, the Allegro scherzando that follows highlights the fluidity, a certain lightness of the game of the soloist. The swinging of the second theme opposes for a moment this lightness and establishes an ironic contrast. The final movement, Presto, opens a frantic race, on a rhythm of tarantella, between the piano and the orchestra that compete brilliantly. The central episode calms for a moment the initial effervescence. His return leads to a dazzling coda in which the touch of the soloist seems to fly over the keyboard.
The encore claimed by the public brings a little calm after the agitation that dominates the concerto. In Franz Liszt’s Dream of Love, warm lyricism find again a place with the tenderness that the pianist knows how to recall.
Serge Chauzy, Toulouse May 27, 2018