Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 "The Egyptian" Simon Trpčeski, Royal Scottish National Orchestra & Thomas Søndergård

• Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921): Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22:
• 1 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22: I. Andante sostenuto 11:03
• 2 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22: II. Allegro scherzando 05:35
• 3 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22: III. Presto 06:46
• Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 "The Egyptian":
• 4 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 "The Egyptian": I. Allegro animato 10:32
• 5 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 "The Egyptian": II. Andante 10:51
• 6 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 "The Egyptian": III. Molto allegro 05:57
• Total Runtime 50:44

Info for Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 "The Egyptian"

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski continues his critically acclaimed piano concertos series on Linn Records with a ‘spectacular’ (Bachtrack) live recording of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5, both performed at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with Thomas Søndergård conducting the colourful and energetic Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It took Saint-Saëns just seventeen days to compose the Second Concerto and practice for the premiere under the baton of Anton Rubinstein! A feat as impressive as the quality of the work itself whose well-balanced movements look back on Fauré and Bach. The Fifth Concerto is the composer’s answer to Wagner mania. Indeed, the work can almost be taken as a hint to his compatriots that there were plenty of other sources of inspiration available, such as the Nubian love song that Saint-Saëns had heard sung by boatmen on the Nile and the sound of croaking frogs, which feature in the second movement and give the work its title: ‘The Egyptian’. This Concerto is a showcase of virtuosity for both composer and pianist.

Simon Trpčeski, piano
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor

Simon Trpčeski
Praised as much for his powerful virtuosity and deeply expressive approach as for his charismatic stage presence, Simon Trpčeski has captivated audiences worldwide for over two decades. Launched onto the international scene as a BBC New Generation Artist, he has collaborated with more than a hundred orchestras across four continents, including the London Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras, Orchestre National de France, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Royal Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki Philharmonics, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics, and The Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Seoul Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Sydney and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras. A much sought-after soloist, he has worked with many of today’s most prominent conductors, earning a reputation as one of the most distinctive and compelling pianists of his generation.

Highlights of the 2025–2026 season include season-opening concerts with the Prague Philharmonia under Emmanuel Villaume and the Seattle Symphony under Xian Zhang, as well as a North American tour featuring two appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda (Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 5), and returns to the San Francisco Symphony with Cristian Măcelaru, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with Peter Oundjian, and the Utah Symphony with Andrew Manze. In Europe, he appears at the Enescu Festival with the Romanian National Youth Symphony under Christian Reif, performs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on tour in Spain with Vasily Petrenko, the Tonhalle Orchestra under Philippe Jordan, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under Stanislav Kochanovsky. He also makes debuts with the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia under Manfred Honeck and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra under Pablo González. Further engagements include a debut with the Israel Philharmonic under Vasily Petrenko, a return to the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Philippe Jordan, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Eliahu Inbal, alongside recital performances at Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (opening The Great Pianists Series), Oviedo, as well as his world music project ‘MAKEDONISSIMO' premier in Hong Kong.

The 2024–2025 season was marked by major orchestral collaborations across North America, Europe, and South America. He opened the season with the Düsseldorf Symphoniker and the Milwaukee Symphony and appeared with leading North American orchestras including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, and Baltimore Symphony, performing with conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, Cristian Măcelaru, Peter Oundjian, and Jakub Hruša. In Europe, highlights included performances with Philharmonia Zürich under Gianandrea Noseda, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Weimar, and the Hessisches Staatsorchester Wiesbaden, as well as the Austrian premiere of Ginastera’s Concierto Argentino with Domingo Hindoyan and the Tonkünstler Orchestra at the Vienna Musikverein. His South American tour included concerts with the leading orchestras of Chile, Colombia, and Brazil, alongside recitals in Miami, Singapore, São Paulo, and Bucharest. Festival highlights included the Berlioz Festival and the Robeco Series at the Concertgebouw, and he served as a jury member for the Enescu Competition and as Artist in Residence at the Banatul Filarmonica.

Trpčeski’s extensive discography reflects his deep and wide-ranging artistry. His long-standing partnership with Vasily Petrenko has produced major recordings with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra: the complete Rachmaninov concertos for Avie, and the Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev concertos for Onyx Classics. With Cristian Măcelaru, he recorded both Shostakovich concertos for Linn Records, followed by critically acclaimed Brahms concertos with the WDR Sinfonieorchester (2023). During his 2023–24 residency with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, he recorded Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 5 with Thomas Søndergård, scheduled for release in Spring 2026. His affinity with the Russian repertoire is reflected in seven recital albums featuring works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov, alongside recordings of Chopin, Brahms, Poulenc, Bach, Liszt, and Debussy. His recent recital album Variations was met with widespread critical praise, receiving CD of the Month in Fono Forum (Germany), Editor’s Choice in Gramophone (UK), Choc de Classica (France), and Amadeus D’oro (Italy).

Beyond the concert stage, Trpčeski is passionately committed to celebrating and sharing the rich musical traditions of his native Macedonia. His chamber music project MAKEDONISSIMO, created with composer Pande Shahov, blends traditional Macedonian folk music with virtuosic, jazz-inflected textures. Since its 2018 premiere, it has toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia. In 2023, Concerto Makedonissimo—a new orchestral version—premiered with the Tonkünstler Orchestra and Yutaka Sado at the Musikverein in Vienna.

With the support of KulturOp, Macedonia’s cultural and arts organisation, he works closely with young musicians, nurturing the next generation and promoting Macedonian culture internationally. In recognition of his artistic achievements, he received the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia in 2009 and in 2011 became the country’s first-ever National Artist.

Born in 1979 in Macedonia, Simon Trpčeski studied with Boris Romanov at the Faculty of Music, University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje. He was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2001 to 2003 and received the Young Artist Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2003. The 2025–2026 season also marks the 25th anniversary of his career, celebrated with a gala concert at the National Arena in Skopje, featuring the Macedonian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and longtime artistic collaborators.

Thomas Søndergård
is the Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW), after stepping down as Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

He has appeared with many notable orchestras in Europe, such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Bayerische Staatsoper; Akademiekonzert series, Bamberger Symphoniker, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

London Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra and City of Birmingham, Orchestre National de France, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

He is also a familiar figure in Scandinavia, with such orchestras as Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Danish National Symphony, Royal Danish Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic.

Following his acclaimed debut for Royal Danish Opera (Poul Ruders : Kafka’s Trial), he has since returned regularly to conduct a broad repertoire, ranging from contemporary to Die Walküre, Elektra, Le nozze di Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, Cunning little vixen and Il viaggio a Reims.

His Stockholm productions of Tosca and Turandot (both with Nina Stemme) led to his Bayerische Staatsoper debut, conducting main season and Opera Festival performances of Turandot with her. At Staatsoper Stuttgart he has conducted Tosca and Luisa Miller. He made his Deutsche Oper Berlin debut with the World premiere of Scartazzini’s Edward II and has since returned for Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet.

Overseas appearances to date have included the symphony orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, St Louis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Houston and Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, as well as Sydney Symphony and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

He has also made highly successful tours to China, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Highlights this season for Thomas with the Minnesota Orchestra include a diverse range of programmes leading the Nordic Composers Festival, concert performances of Puccini's Turandot, and projects with leading soloists such as Yunchan Lim, Isabelle Faust, Julia Bullock and Bruce Liu. With Royal Scottish National Orchestra he will perform Mahler's epic Symphony No. 2 and close the season with a celebration of the music of Dmitri Shostakovich.

This is not to mention his debut with Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as returns to Deutsche Oper Berlin (Elektra), Den Norske Opera (Peer Gynt), and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Thomas will also lead a project with the Aarhus Symfoniorkester celebrating the 750th anniversary of the city of Holstebro - his home town.

In January 2022, Thomas was decorated with a Royal Order of Chivalry – the Order of Dannebrog (Ridder af Dannebrogordenen) by Her Majesty Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark.

And in January 2023 he received the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl Nielsen Foundation Honorary Award as recognition for his outstanding contribution to Danish musical life and as a support to continue his distinguished development as a conductor.

Booklet for Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 "The Egyptian"