Saint-Saëns wrote three violin concertos, but only the Third (Op. 61, 1880) is taken seriously, and even that is rarely programmed. What survives in the active repertoire are the two shorter showpieces: the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (Op. 28, 1863) and the Havanaise (Op. 83, 1887). Both were written for Pablo de Sarasate, the Spanish violin virtuoso who had a way of inspiring composers to write things that sounded brilliant and felt effortless — then turned out to be extremely difficult.
The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is the better-known of the two: a brooding slow introduction that gives way to a Spanish-flavored rondo, all flashing runs and syncopated rhythms. It’s the kind of piece that sounds like a party trick until you realize how precisely everything is calibrated. Perlman plays it like he wrote it.