Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals

Camille Saint-Saens (Composer), Charles Dutoit (Conductor), London Sinfonietta (Performer), Cristina Ortiz (Performer), Pascal Rogé (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: London Sinfonietta, Cristina Ortiz, Pascal Rogé
• Conductor: Charles Dutoit
• Composer: Camille Saint-Saens
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000041QC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,588 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #54 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Tone Poems

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this CD., June 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals (Audio CD)

This CD was great! It was a treat to my ears! Camille Saint-Saens brought me on an incredible journey to the zoo with the Carnival of the Animals, to Ancient Greece with Phaeton, into the world of Hercules with Le Rouet d'Omphale, and to the graveyard with Danse Macabre. I have heard many Danse Macabres, and I rate this the best I've heard. The Carnival of the Animals was, however, my over all favorite. I heard it when I was young, and have been searching for it ever since. I finally found it in this CD. I enjoyed the Introduction and Royal March of the Lion for its majesty and grandeur, the Aquarium for its liquid grace, the Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods for its quiet dignity, and Wild Asses for its speed. Altogether, I greatly enjoyed this CD and recommend it to everyone.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A humorous zoological fantasy & popular symphonic poems..., May 17, 2000

By 

J. E. ASENCIO-NEGRON "9th Earl of Darquet" (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals (Audio CD)

If you have visited "Impressions de France" at EPCOT, Florida, I am sure that you heard (maybe unknowningly) the AQUARIUM from Saint-Saëns at the beginning of the video presentation (180-degrees screen) exhibited there every 20 minutes or so. It reminded me of "Reflects dans l'eau" from Debussy (1909: Images, set 1, #1), and "Jeux d'eau" from Ravel (1902). They evoke so elegantly the soothing effect of water, that you could easily relax while playing them.

This humorous & popular zoological fantasy "Le carnaval des animaux" (1886)(Carnival of the Animals), for two pianos and orchestra was originally aimed as an intimate piece only for the enjoyment of the composer's close friends and not for the public audience. Saint-Saëns said he wrote it almost as a joke, so he forbade performances in his lifetime because he thought it would "damage" his "serious" reputation. The composer died on 1921, thus it was performed for the first time on 2/25/1922.

Of the thirteen operas completed by Saint-Saëns, it is "Samson et Dalila" (1877) the one which has held the stage on the 20th century. It is a romantic treatment of the biblical story with its strongly appealing scenes (and excellent milieu of the powerful & dramatic voice of the tenor Plácido Domingo as "Samson"). He also wrote 'exotic' works (you should listen the Egyptian mood of the 2nd movement ("Andante") of the 5th piano concerto).

The symphonic poems included here: Phaéton (1872), Le Rouet d'Omphale (1874), and the Danse Macabre (1874), in a style influenced by Liszt & using thematic transformation, came as an innovation for the frenchmen in the 1870's, and they have been very popular since (this music has been used on cartoons for half a century). I enjoyed them all through the convincing & able conducting of Charles Dutoit!...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carnival of the Animals CD, composer Saint Saens, March 29, 2008

By 

J. Esquilin "piano girl" (TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals (Audio CD)

As an instructor of a college level Music Appreciation course, I consider this CD to be a very handy item in my teaching arsenal. Believe it or not, these young adults appreciate being engaged in hands-on listening lessons, and the format of the composition allows for that. The quality and clarity of the sound is outstanding, and the orchestra of French musicians pays homage to their native son Camille Saint Saens. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals
Thank you, J. Esquilin