Allegro Appassionato, Op. 70

In contexts such as competitions and student recitals, where time for a single piece is limited, it is rare to find a "convenient" work that allows for the display of both technical prowess and lyrical musicality. However, this Allegro Appassionato is one such piece, precisely because it was originally written for a "competition."

Although Saint-Saëns never held a teaching position at the Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music), he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Academy of Fine Arts) in 1881. This meant that in the musical world, he gained influence over musical administration, including personnel matters at the Conservatoire, and was generally regarded as a prominent figure. As a result, he received more requests for roles such as competition judge and more commissions for occasional pieces for ceremonies and other events. In Saint-Saëns's case, however, he tended to readily accept such troublesome requests. This was perhaps because, after a tragic separation from his wife following the deaths of their children, though legally speaking he remained single for the rest of his life, he had ample time, which he seemed to fill with a packed schedule of composing and (performance) tours, as if to alleviate the loneliness of being single. Nevertheless, just as a painter cannot exhibit and sell their works on the spot, a composer cannot exhibit and sell new scores on the spot. Thus, musical works are more or less occasional in nature; even the famous Symphony No. 3, "Organ Symphony", was a commissioned work by the Philharmonic Society of London. However, in Saint-Saëns's case, there were indeed many overtly occasional and trivial works, such as a coronation march or an overture for the inauguration of a maritime museum, which undeniably contributed to the label of his music being formal and lacking substance.

The competition that prompted the composition of Allegro Appassionato was the 1884 graduation examination (concours) for the male piano class at the Conservatoire. As violinist Jacques Thibaud also stated in his autobiography, graduating with a Premier Prix (First Prize) from the Conservatoire was paramount, even more important than merely entering it. This competition prize was an essential ticket for young students to launch their careers as performers. Even though it was an internal school competition, in centralized French society, winning a Premier Prix at the Conservatoire, the highest institution of musical education, was (and still is) extremely important. Of course, being commissioned to compose a new work for this public examination was an honor, but this system of commissioning new works was a truly French, rational system that valued equality. This is because if an older piece were assigned as the examination piece, students might have practiced it during their studies or even before entering, making it difficult to ensure equal conditions for all candidates. Therefore, commissioning a new work ensured that all candidates had the same amount of time until the examination, thus maintaining fairness. This system of commissioning new works promoted the expansion of repertoire in the 20th century, especially in wind instrument classes, and supported the flourishing of what is often called the "French School" in the flute world by enriching its repertoire. However, in the 19th century, this tradition did not yet exist; for wind instrument classes lacking repertoire, it was common for the professor in charge to compose works themselves, such as "Solo No. X." For piano, which did not suffer from a lack of repertoire, Chopin was frequently featured in the latter half of the 19th century. In such a context, the fact that Saint-Saëns, a living composer at the time, was commissioned to compose this piece attests to his high reputation.

The piece begins in C-sharp minor and ends in C-sharp major, in a compound ternary form with elements of sonata form. In the opening introduction, a powerful unison figure of F-sharp, G-sharp, and B-sharp serves as the main motive, and the first theme from measure 7 is played lightly. Perhaps coincidentally, this opening introductory motive is similar to the opening unison (C-sharp, D-sharp, G-sharp) of F. Ries's Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 55 (also in the same key), which was assigned as a graduation competition piece five times between the 1840s and 1860s (see note below). After a forceful restatement of the main motive in unison, the first lyrical theme appears eight measures before rehearsal number 4 in the Durand edition. Following a short variation of the first theme, a second lyrical theme emerges; in the orchestral accompaniment version, it begins with a chorale played by wind instruments, and at Molto tranquillo, it takes on a solemn sound reminiscent of a pipe organ. The Allegro section, beginning after the double bar after rehearsal number 7, develops the main motive, and the piece concludes brilliantly in a major key with the recapitulation from rehearsal number 8 and the coda.

The pianists who premiered the solo version were, of course, the 19 pianists who participated in the competition on June 22, 1884. The Premier Prix (First Prize) was awarded to Henri Falcke (1866-1901), a student of Mathias, and Philippe Class (1863-?), a student of Marmontel, respectively. The version with orchestral accompaniment was published in March 1905, and it is thought to have been arranged around this time. Its premiere was given by Madame Marie-Aimée Roger-Miclos on December 24 of the same year at the Concerts Colonne. (Note) As pointed out by Mr. Yasushi Ueda. It is unlikely that Saint-Saëns, who debuted as a pianist at the age of 10 in 1846, was unaware of the existence of this piece.