Musical Carnival Anybody?
When we were kids, a field trip to the zoo was definitely on the list. We get to see different animals and appreciate the diversity of the animal kingdom. For those that can afford it, a wonderful safari in Africa is the way to go to experience the beauty of wildlife outside of a controlled environment of the zoo or a nice cruise may do. For those that may not exactly have those privileges or experiences, a musical carnival by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns may do the trick with his Carnival of the Animals.
Believe it or not, Saint-Saëns was not exactly fond of this work and only wanted it to be published after his death, thinking it may hurt his reputation as a composer —it was first composed in February 1886, publicly performed in February 1922, two months after his death, and published in April of the same year. In private performances, the reception of the work was well-received, yet the man thought it did not exactly represent his whole style altogether. An interesting thing about this work is the specific orchestration/instrumentation. It requires two pianos, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, piccolo, clarinet (B flat and C), glass harmonica, and xylophone. The uniqueness of this ensemble is that each instrument can represent an animal —or animals. Another way to perform this piece is to have the full string section of the orchestra and the two pianos. Here is the order of the suite:
Introduction et marche royale du lion (Strings and pianos)
Poules et coqs (Violin, viola, clarinet, and pianos)
Hémiones (Pianos)
Tortues (Strings and piano)
L'Éléphant (Double bass and piano)
Kangourous (Pianos)
Aquarium (String quartet, two pianos, flute, and glass harmonica)
Personnages à longues oreilles (Two violins)
Le Coucou au fond des bois (Pianos and clarinet)
Volière (Strings, pianos, and flute)
Pianistes (Strings and pianos)
Fossiles (Strings, pianos, clarinet, and xylophone)
Le cygne (Pianos and cello)
Final (The entire ensemble)
Saint-Saëns knew what he was doing when he assigned instruments that best depict the animals in the movements. In L’Éléphant for example, the choice of the double bass shows the heavy and slow movement of the animal with a rich sound. For Hémiones, the two pianists showcase their abilities with runs, and depicting wild donkeys that sprint. The biggest outlier here is the Pianistes movement, which obviously do not depict animals, but an awkward way for pianists to warm up for the kicks! Outside of the context of the whole suite, the most performed movement is Le cygne, usually performed in a piano and cello version. The two pianos depict the stillness of the water while the cello sings its melody, ever so full of grace.
To have more fun with the carnival, listen to the whole work here performed by the Zagreb Music Academy Chamber Orchestra: