![]() In the immense oeuvre of Camille Saint-Saëns, The Carnival of the Animals is certainly one of his magnificent masterpieces. The newspaper “Le Figaro” reported, “We cannot describe the cries of admiring joy let loose by an enthusiastic public. As such, it was first printed by Durand in Paris in April 1922 and rapturously received. In fact Saint-Saëns specified in his will that the work should only be published after his death. For that occasion, Saint-Saëns fashioned an arrangement for cello and solo piano relying on his original score for two pianos. He was adamant that the work would not be published in his lifetime, and initially only allowed “The Swan” to be published in 1887. Aquarium (Paris Conservatoire Orchestra Georges Prêtre, cond.)ĭespite its overwhelming success, Saint-Saëns was concerned that his whimsical animal miniatures, full of delightful jokes, might hamper his public image of being a matured and serious composer. Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals – VII. ![]() Kangaroos (Paris Conservatoire Orchestra Georges Prêtre, cond.) Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals – IV. All those performances were semi-private, except for one at the Société des instruments à vent in April 1892, and “often took place with the musicians wearing masks of the heads of the various animals they represented.” There were other performances, typically for the French mid-Lent festival of Mi-Carême. This zoological fantasy was received with great enthusiasm.” Only a couple of days later, a second performance was given at Émile Lemoine’s chamber music society La Trompette, followed by another at the home of Pauline Viardot with an audience including Franz Liszt, a friend of the composer, who had expressed a wish to hear the work. A critic and eyewitness reports, “Monsieur Lebouc managed to assemble a definitive line-up of eminent performers: Messieurs Saint-Saëns, Diémer, Taffanel, Turban, Maurin, Prioré, de Bailly and Tourcy who, after a very interesting program, took part in the first performance of a very witty fantasy burlesque, composed for this concert by Saint-Saëns and entitled the Carnival of the Animals.
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