A complete version of Camille Saint-Saens' "Le carnaval des animaux" (Duboit) - No. 8-13 video
Because he wanted to be considered a composer of serious, substantial music, Camille Saint-Saens suppressed his "Carnival of the Animals" shortly after its premiere, in 1886, disallowing any execution of the suite and publishing only one movement, "The Swan", in his lifetime. And while that movement is a welcome addition to pieces written for the cello, the whole "zoological fantasy" is a most successful example of humourously themed music in the classical repertory and has become, with full right, one of the composer's most popular works.
It is cast as a suite of 14 short pieces and was originally scored for, at first sight, rather small chamber group of flute, clarinet, two pianos, glass harmonica, xylophone, two violins, viola, cello and double bass, but is usually performed today with a full orchestra of strings, and with a glockenspiel substituting for the rare glass harmonica. But the brilliance of Saint-Saens' piece lies not only in the sheer number of surprisingly witty and charming depictions of the animals; the composer uses only the instruments he needs at the moment and draws exceptional music from different combinations of his compact "cast".
My choice recording here is a charming and warm account by the London Sinfonietta under the leadership of Charles Dutoit, the recording that introduced me to the work itself and which is one of my preferences for this particular piece.
I divided the movements into three separate uploads with the finale actually being separated from the rest of the tableaux, making for a well-placed recapitulation.
This is also my first upload where I tried playing with the possibilities of Windows Video Maker, thus I included several captions to mark the changes between the movements.
8. No. 8. Characters with Long Ears (two violins). This is surely the least lyrical of the pieces: the violins alternate playing high, shrill screeches and low, buzzing notes (in the manner of a donkey's braying "hee-haw").
9. No. 9. The cuckoo in the depths of the woods (two pianos and clarinet). The pianos play large, soft chords while the clarinet plays a single two-note ostinato, over and over; a C and an A flat, mimicking the call of a cuckoo bird.
10. No. 10. Aviary (strings, piano and flute). The high strings take on a background role, providing a buzz in the background that is reminiscent of the background noise of a jungle. The cellos and basses play a pick up cadence to lead into most of the measures. The flute takes the part of the bird, with a trilling tune that spans much of its range. The pianos provide occasional ping and trills of other birds in the background. The movement ends very quietly after a long ascending scale from the flute.
11. No. 11. Pianists (strings and two pianos). This movement is a glimpse of what few audiences ever get to see: the pianists practicing their scales. The scales of C, D flat, D and E flat are covered. Each one starts with a trill on the first and second note, then proceeds in scales with a few changes in the rhythm. Transitions between keys are accomplished with a blasting chord from all the instruments between scales. After the four scales, the key changes back to C, where the pianos play a trill-like pattern in thirds while the strings play a small part underneath. This movement is unusual in that the last three blasted chords do not resolve the piece, but rather lead into the next movement, with a pattern similar to the chords that lead from the second to the third movements of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.
12. No. 12. Fossils (strings, two pianos, clarinet and xylophone). Here, Saint-Saens mimics his own Danse Macabre which makes heavy use of the glockenspiel to evoke the image of skeletons playing card games, the bones clacking together to the beat. The musical themes from Danse Macabre are also quoted; the glockenspiel and the violin play much of the melody, alternating with the piano and clarinet. The piano part is especially difficult here - octaves that jump in quick thirds. Allusions to "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman", the French nursery rhymes "Au clair de la lune" and "J'ai du bon tabac", the popular anthem "Partant pour la Syrie" as well as the aria "Una voce poco fa" can also be heard, to charming, though unexplained and unmotivated, musical quotes.
13. No. 13. The Swan (two pianos and cello). This is by far the most famous movement of the suite, often performed solo and is used to showcase the interpretive skills of the cellist. The lushly romantic cello solo (which evokes the swan elegantly gliding over the water) is played over rippling sixteenths in one piano and rolled chords in the other (representing the swan's feet, hidden from view beneath the water, propelling it along).
