Saint-Saens, The Carnival Of The Animals

In 1922 a review appeared in the French newspaper Le Figaro: “We
cannot describe the cries of admiring joy let loose by an
enthusiastic public. In the immense oeuvre of Camille
Saint-Saëns, The Carnival of the Animals is certainly
one of his magnificent masterpieces. From the first note to the
last it is an uninterrupted outpouring of a spirit of the highest
and noblest comedy. In every bar, at every point, there are
unexpected and irresistible finds. Themes, whimsical ideas,
instrumentation compete with buffoonery, grace and science. ...
When he likes to joke, the master never forgets that he is the
master.” You would think that this review came after a triumphant
performance for Saint-Saens, and that he basked in the glory of
the major success of what would become perhaps his most well
known work, the Carnival of the Animals. But it just wasn’t the
case. In fact, this review appeared after a performance of the
piece given after Saint-Saens death, and there was a reason for
that. Saint-Saens, after 3 private performances of the piece,
forbade it from being performed publicly during his lifetime.
Why? Well, he was concerned that this lighthearted piece would
diminish his standing as a serious composer. Even in the mid
1880s when this piece was written, Saint-Saens began to evince
the conservatism, musical and otherwise, that would mark his
later career, to the point that he wanted Stravinsky declared
insane and said this about Debussy: "We must at all costs bar the
door of the Institut against a man capable of such atrocities;
they should be put next to the cubist pictures." Why was
Saint-Saens so opposed to modernism? Why was he so concerned with
his reputation as a serious composer, to the point that he
suppressed this wonderfully creative piece? And just what makes
the Carnival of the Animals so fantastic and so much fun to
listen to, as well as being so vivid in its portrayals of the
animals it represents? Join us to find out!