Saint-Saëns — Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, opening

Conservatory-level. Every dimension is being measured.

Cello88 bpm55s take

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Where this excerpt appears

Conservatory cello audition concerto options
Competition first rounds and semi-finals
Summer festival concerto competition selections
Graduate recital programs

Panel-ready practice tips

1.The opening sixteenth-note passage must be clear at the stated tempo — it's a bow-arm precision test.
2.French Romantic style: warm, singing tone quality with a relatively straight bow path. No excessive arm movement.
3.The passage in octaves must be in tune. Practice each octave as a stand-alone tuning exercise.
4.The lyrical second theme at the Andante sostenuto is the panel's test of your singing tone. Breathe before you play it.
5.The transition back to the opening tempo is abrupt — practice the re-entry precisely. A hesitation there reads as a memory lapse.