Monday, May 18, 2009

Camille Saint - What? Saens?

Camille Saint Saens was a French composer with a respectable beard-mustache combo who despised the music of Claude Debussy. He is best known for The Carnival of the Animals. The Carnival, premiered in 1886, is a delightful piece of music. Much better than anything ever written by Claude Debussy, that sappy slouch. "The Aquarium," a whimsically spooky (or spook-tacularly whimsical) movement from the Carnival, was used in the hit film The Curious Life of Benjamin Button.


Saint-Saens also left us with the most well known double bass solo in orchestral literature. It's from the Carnival and it's called "The Elephant." Here it is performed by an orchestra of basses in Kyoto, Japan.

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