The Carnival of the Animals

Saint-Saëns composed this work in February 1886 following a disastrous concert. While the 14-movement suite had some private performances for musicians, it was never published or performed during the composer’s lifetime, as he regarded the piece as light entertainment that didn’t fit with his reputation as a serious musician. It was premiered in February 1922 (the year after Saint-Saëns' death) in Paris with Gabriel Pierné conducting, where it was received rapturously and quickly became one of Saint-Saëns' most popular works.