The
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor,
Op. 22 by
Camille Saint-Saëns, was composed in 1868 and is probably Saint-Saëns' most popular
piano concerto. It was dedicated to Madame A. de Villers née de Haber. At the première, the composer was the soloist and
Anton Rubinstein conducted the orchestra. Saint-Saëns wrote the concerto in three weeks, and had very little time to prepare for the première; consequently, the piece was not initially successful. The capricious changes in style provoked
Zygmunt Stojowski to quip that it "begins with
Bach and ends with
Offenbach."