Leader, Daniel Melsa
Conductor, ERIC FOGG 1. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion; 2. Hens and Cocks ; 3. Mules ; 4. Tortoises; 5. The Elephant ; 6. Kangaroos; 7. Aquarium ; 8. Long-eared Persons; 9. The Cuckoo in the Heart of the Wood; 10. Aviary; 11. Pianists; 12. Fossils ; 13. The Swan ; 14. Finale (Pianofortes, MURIEL LIDDLE and JOHN WILLS )
Saint-Saëns' 'The Carnival of Animals', scored for two pianos, two violins, viola, 'cello, bass, flute, clarinet, harmonica, and xylophone, consists of fourteen short numbers. The music as a whole is full of charm, wit, and fancy. Several numbers are delightfully satirical, such as No. 4, which is based on two themes from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld (the first from the final ballet and the second from Act I) ; No. 5, which is a humorous distortion for double-bass and piano of Berlioz's ' Danse des Sylphes ' and Mendelssohn's ' Song of a Summer Night'; No. 11, which imitates an awkward beginner playing five-finger exercises and scales in various keys (we have all suffered from this disturbing animal ! ) ; and No. 12, which is a queer mixture of two well-known popular French airs, Saint-Saens' own ' Danse macabre ' and an air from Rossini's Barber of Seville. No. 14 is a very jolly and brilliant affair in which several of the animals are introduced to each other with harmonious effect.