Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals

[Beale]

What are your recommended recordings of the Carnival of the Animals? To which animal(s) do you pay the most attention?

[eyeresist]

The one with Ogden Nash's words spoken by Noel Coward is much fun, though in ancient sound. You can get an MP3 of the whole thing for a dollar.

Avoid the Martha Argerich one. In theory it should be interesting to hear this original chamber version, but the attempt to make the Pianists section funny is just irritating.

[TheGSMoeller]

The one with Ogden Nash's words spoken by Noel Coward is much fun, though in ancient sound. You can get an MP3 of the whole thing for a dollar.

That is wonderful, and the ancient sound adds character to the piece. Thanks for mentioning it, Mr. Resist.

[Ataraxia]

The one with Ogden Nash's words spoken by Noel Coward is much fun, though in ancient sound. You can get an MP3 of the whole thing for a dollar.

Yeah, thanks!

[eyeresist]

I should also point out, for those who haven't noticed it, that the Tortoises melody is actually Offenbach's Can-Can slowed down!

[The new erato]

This is outstanding:

[asin]B0000DIGJ7[/asin]

[eyeresist]

This is outstanding:

[asin]B0000DIGJ7[/asin]

Sadly, this too screws up les Pianistes. Is this actually in the score of the chamber version?

EDIT:

I downloaded the chamber score from IMSLP. There's nothing written on the actual staves, but at the bottom of the page it says:

(*) Les executants devront imiter le jeu d'un debutant et sa gaucherie (Note des Editeurs)
[The pianists should imitate the hesitant style and awkwardness of a beginner. (Editors' note)]

Note that this is the editors' anotation, not the composer's.

[Beale]

The one with Ogden Nash's words spoken by Noel Coward is much fun, though in ancient sound. You can get an MP3 of the whole thing for a dollar.

Avoid the Martha Argerich one. In theory it should be interesting to hear this original chamber version, but the attempt to make the Pianists section funny is just irritating.

Thanks, but I couldn't do the Amazon MP3 download outside of the US. Might give the CD below a try.

The 'Pianists' is meant to be irritatingly repeated scales, right?

[Que]

This is outstanding:

[asin]B0000DIGJ7[/asin]

Ditto. 

Q

[eyeresist]

Thanks, but I couldn't do the Amazon MP3 download outside of the US. Might give the CD below a try.

I have the same trouble with Amazon MP3s - my sister is now in the US, so I am thinking of asking her to do me a favour

The 'Pianists' is meant to be irritatingly repeated scales, right?

I don't find the scales as such irritating. In orchestral performances, they create a sense of drive and anticipation.
What's irritating is that this sense is lost in the existing recordings of the chamber version, because the pianists deliberately speed up and slow down and get out of sync, the result being bad slapstick (or a typical Argerich piano duo performance ).

[pbarach]

Previn and Pittsburgh, if still available. Includes an outstanding "Swan."

[Que]

[..] because the pianists deliberately speed up and slow down and get out of sync, the result being bad slapstick.

I was always under the impression that was the composer's idea? That that is supposed to be the (musical) joke?

Q

[eyeresist]

I was always under the impression that was the composer's idea? That that is supposed to be the (musical) joke?

See my previous post:

I downloaded the chamber score from IMSLP. There's nothing written on the actual staves, but at the bottom of the page it says:

(*) Les executants devront imiter le jeu d'un debutant et sa gaucherie (Note des Editeurs)
[The pianists should imitate the hesitant style and awkwardness of a beginner. (Editors' note)]

Note that this is the editors' anotation, not the composer's.

I've only heard this approach in the chamber version, not the orchestral, so I assume the enlarged score doesn't have this notation.