Customer Reviews

Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!...

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

This CD is absolutely charming. The Carnival of the Animals is so full of different expressions- the majestic lion, the agonizingly slow tortoise, the free-flying birds, the dancing fossils, and the regal swan. Phaeton is amazing, as is le Rouet d'Omphale and the Danse Macabre. I wasn't into Saint-Saens before this CD, but now I'm hooked. For model romantic era music, buy this CD without delay :)

The music is beautiful. I used it for a music lesson for Kindergarten on how to interpret animals using music. It is also very soothing in the background for working.

A lot of people believe that Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens is only for little kids. I don't think that should be true, because it can be music for everyone. Its childlike melodies and simple orchestrations can be enjoyable for people ages 0 to 110. It's like one of those family films that you've always loved when you were a kid, and that you still admire it when you're an adult. From the lions and donkeys to the cuckoos and swans, it's a musical journey to the world of animals. Maestro Charles Dutoit and the London Sinfonietta do a fine job with this piece. Aside from a very ponderous "Cuckoo" and a bland "Fossils," this interpretation ranks among high honors. Pascal Rogé and Cristina Ortiz are marvelous on the two pianos. Sound quality by London (Decca) is superb.

Also included in this CD are Phaeton, Le Rouet d'Omphale, and Danse Macabre, all of which are performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. All three are wonderful pieces, and Dutoit does a great job with the orchestral scores, especially Danse Macabre.

Grade: 8.2/10

Although all of the music on this cd is excellent, and beautifully recorded, I would single out Danse Macabre (and second the opinion of A CUSTOMER) as the finest recorded performance of this ever-popular work. First of all, it's played at a brisk tempo, with real vigor from both violinist and orchestra. Secondly, the balance between them is ideal; the violin isn't overpowered but plays the equal partner. Thirdly, the sound of both is rich and full-bodied.

I've heard many versions of this, conducted by Maazel, Ormandy, Oue, Kunzel, Pretre, Batiz, and Gibson, to name just a few, and most have one or more of these defects: draggy pacing, scrawny and insubstantial violin sound, or uneven rhythm.

Dutoit's version outstrips them all and by itself justifies the price of this cd.

This wonderful, musical trip to the zoo is very good. Saint-Saëns' little jokes (the elephant's music is the Can-Can from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld played in a very heavy fashion by the double bass) are amusing if you know the background, but even if you don't, these musical sketches bring Saint-Saëns' trip to the zoo to life.

I love "Carnival of the Animals". Always have. And I have heard many versions of it. Dutoit is an excellent conductor so this is TRULY a "marriage made in heaven". I was, also, delighted to discover some lesser known works by Saint-Saens on this album. Highly recommended.

This is a must-have for any lover of classical music. Saint-Saens definitely composed a masterpiece. The Swan and Aquamarine are two of the most popular since they can be heard on television. It's worth the price to own all of these songs in one convenient cd.