Camille Saint-Saëns
Carnival of the Animals, zoological fantasy for 2 pianos & ensemble
1886

Mov. 14. Finale.
Original Title: Le carnaval des animaux.

Description by Joseph Stevenson
In 1885 Saint-Saëns wrote a witty, uncomplicated piece called Wedding Cake (1885), which to his chagrin became so popular that he gained a temporary reputation as a "light" composer. Because he wanted to be considered a composer of serious, substantial music, he suppressed Carnival of the Animals shortly after its premiere in the following year. However, this "zoological fantasy," one of the most successful examples of humourously themed music in the repertory, has become one of the composer's most popular works. Carnival of the Animals, cast as a suite of 14 short pieces, is scored for an ensemble comprising two pianos, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, and glockenspiel.

The work begins with a roar from the two pianos and low strings, an appropriate introduction to the "Royal March of the Lions." The crowing and pecking of strings effectively evokes the clamor of hens and roosters, while the depiction of tortoises takes the form of a sly musical joke: a drastically slowed-down version of the famous can-can from Offenbach's Orphée aux Enfers (1858). Saint-Saëns continues to parody his countrymen when he uses the "Waltz of the Sylphs" from Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust (1846) in depicting elephants. Graceful and rapid leaps on the keyboard naturally describe kangaroos. Liquid, rippling sounds on the piano and a magical, serene melody characterize one of the loveliest sections of the work, a sound portrait of an aquarium. Sliding string figures give voice to mules, whose braying is sharply contrasted with the deeply mysterious beauty of the clarinet in its imitation of a cuckoo. This single bird becomes an entire aviary aflutter with airy flute solos and rapid keyboard passagework. Saint-Saëns admits pianists themselves into the menagerie, good-naturedly mocking their hours of practice with a passage that unfolds as a ponderous keyboard exercise. "Fossils" pays homage to those creatures which have suffered extinction with the suggestion of rattling bones in the xylophone, including a quotation from the composer's own Danse macabre (1874). This is followed by the most famous movement, one so lovely that the composer permitted its publication as a solo work. "The Swan" has become a staple of every cellist's repertoire and a favorite accompaniment for dance works. The brisk finale includes a spirited, exuberant reprise of all of the animals' themes.


Parts/Movements
Introduction and royal march of the lion
Cocks and hens
Wild asses
Tortoises
Elephants
Kangaroos
Aquarium
People with long ears
Cuckoo in the heart of the woods
Aviary
Pianists
Fossils
The swan
Finale


Ciklus Virtuoso - Ad libitum ll
Music is LIVE from concert, few video parts are from same day rehersal
Camille Saint-Saëns - Karneval životinja
Le carnaval des animaux

DANIJEL GAŠPAROVIĆ i NIKOLA KOS, klaviri
KOMORNI ANSAMBL MUZIČKE AKADEMIJE U ZAGREBU
Marco Graziani i Tvrtko Emanuel Galić, violine
Šimun Končić, viola
Smiljan Mrčela, violončelo
Jura Herceg, kontrabas
Matej Pavić, klarinet
Ana Batinica, flauta
Špela Mastnak, ksilofon
HGZ - Zagreb, Croatia
22/1/2012