Le Carnaval des animaux. Written in March 1886 as a humorous occasional work for the traditional carnival concert organized by his cellist friend Charles-Joseph Lebouc, the Carnival of the Animals was so successful that Saint-Saëns banned performances and publication soon afterwards. He was worried that this ?grand zoological fantasy? - consisting of 14 short individual pieces for eleven instruments - might overshadow his serious works. Yet only five months after the composer?s death, it appeared in print after all, beginning its worldwide victory march - in its original setting as well as in numerous arrangements. Thus, the Carnival did in fact arguably become the most popular work by this French composer and, owing to its musical originality, it is also a favourite in music lessons or for school orchestra performances. With this combination of a study edition and an edition in parts (for which additional parts for larger numbers of strings may be ordered), G. Henle Publishers now presents the perfect resource for such occasions.

Symphonies. Par RAMEAU JEAN-PHILIPPE. This edition unites all the purely instrumental and dance numbers from one of Rameau?s most popular operas, along with those from his last one-act opéra-ballet ?Io?, which was left unfinished at the time of his death. ?Platée? is the setting of a libretto by Jacques Autreau that Rameau arranged to be adapted for his own purposes, especially with regard to comic effects. In grotesque form, it shows Jupiter curing his wife Juno of her jealousy by feigning a marriage of love with the ugly swamp nymph Platée. Faced with such a ludicrous rival, Juno is forced to admit that her suspicions were unfounded. The opera was premièred in Versailles in 1745 for the wedding of the Dauphin Louis and Maria Theresia of Spain. The performance was a fiasco, however, for the coarse comedy and bizarre characters were deemed inappropriate by the wedding audience. It was not until 1749 in Paris that ?Platée? achieved its breakthrough, becoming Rameau?s greatest triumph to date. Another version with an altered text was performed from 1754 on. The plot of the fragmentary ?Io? deals with the amorous relations between the nymph Io and Jupiter in the guise of the shepherd Hylas, who becomes a rival of Apollo, disguised as Philemon. Now the inventive and richly varied orchestral numbers from this cruelly comical bonfire of the vanities can be presented in concert with greater flexibility. / Date parution : 2022-04-05/ Répertoire / Ensemble de Chambre