Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals; Organ Symphony

Camille Saint-Saens (Composer), Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Philippe Entremont (Conductor, Performer), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra), E. Power Biggs (Performer), Gaby Casadesus (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Philippe Entremont, E. Power Biggs, Gaby Casadesus
• Orchestra: Philadelphia Orchestra
• Conductor: Eugene Ormandy, Philippe Entremont
• Composer: Camille Saint-Saens
• Audio CD (April 15, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00008PX9G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,284 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #17 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Tone Poems
  • #94 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous music, October 28, 2007

By 

English Pearson (MS, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals; Organ Symphony (Audio CD)

This is a nice selection of Saint-Saëns' work. The symphonic poem Danse Macabre, my favorite of his compositions, is wonderfully performed, as is the exotically gorgeous Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila (which you've probably heard duplicated on many older movies based in the Middle East). The organ symphony is magnificent and, for those of us who enjoy the music for its own sake, the Carnival of the Animals is presented without narration but with beautiful cello work by Yo-Yo Ma. Personally, I find Aquarium in particular to be a wonderful piece that stands very well on its own without commentary, despite the composer's misgivings about the entire composition.

If you want to listen to Nash's (or others; for example, Peter Schickele also wrote narration for the Carnival), then this CD is not for you. However, if you want to hear the Carnival and (especially) the other works beautifully performed, you can't miss with this collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Saint-Saens, February 4, 2011

By 

ScottyBlue - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals; Organ Symphony (Audio CD)

I recieved this CD as a Christmas present and I have been listening to it fairly consistently since. Saint-Saens has made my list of favorite classical composers because his music has the ability to tell stories, and cover wide ranges of emotions in a single piece. My absolute favorite track from this CD is the "Bacchanale", for its lively orchestration and toe-tapping "dance-til-you-drop" rhythms. I also especially enjoy the "Carnival of the Animals" segment; each beautifully orchestrated piece is arranged so well, one can often tell which animal it represents without having to double-check the index on the back of the CD. Finally, among other great works of this composer, the CD also includes the undisputed best version of the famous "Danse Macabre" that I have ever heard in my life. I give this beautiful, addictive CD a HUGE thumbs up!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary Performance of the Organ Symphony, November 8, 2007

By 

E. Clinton (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals; Organ Symphony (Audio CD)

This is a superb performance of the Organ Symphony by Eugene Ormandy, the Philadelphia Orchestra and E. Power Biggs. The sound is a little outdated, but the performance is spectacular. Crank up the sound and listen.