Fantasie on Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns)
Movements
i Introduction et marche royale du lion (Introduction and Royal March of the Lion), ii Poules et coqs (Hens and Roosters), iii Hémiones (animaux véloces) (Wild Asses (Swift Animals)), vi Tortues (Tortoises), v L’Éléphant (The Elephant), vi Kangourous (Kangaroos), vii Aquarium, viii Personnages à longues oreilles (Characters with Long Ears), ix Le Coucou au fond des bois (The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods), x Volière (Aviary), xi Pianistes (Pianists), xii Fossiles (Fossils), xiii Le cygne (The Swan), xiv Final (Finale)
Notes
The Carnival of the Animals is a humorous musical suite of 14 movements, including “The Swan”, by the French composer Saint-Saëns. It was written for private performance by two pianos and chamber ensemble; Saint-Saëns prohibited public performance of the work during his lifetime, feeling that its frivolity would damage his standing as a serious composer. The suite was published in 1922, the year after his death. A public performance in the same year was greeted with enthusiasm, and it has remained among his most popular.
