Cool!

Dr. Lee, MANY thanks for this performance of what I consider a criminally underappreciated piece. Is it profound? Of course not, but it's entertaining as all get-out, something Saint-Saens excelled in attaining. I believe he's the composer who said you don't have to be Brahms, so if you want to write an insouciant and entertaining concerto, go right ahead. His pupil Fauré and Fauré's pupil Ravel took that to heart, offering a borderline-willful mix of contemplation and frivolity, sometimes within the same work. As to these Variations, I was shocked when my 30+CD survey of the composer's works omitted this charmer. Yours is the first live performance I've heard since the early 1980s - yes, FOUR decades. I am delighted to learn that this level of music-making is happening in my current home state of Virginia.

Dazzling!