France: Provence, Carnival of Animals

The places visited include Arles, with its Roman arena, the mill made famous by Alphonse Daudet in his Lettres de mon moulin and the celebrations of the guardians of the Camargue, with its wild horses. Accompanying the Zoological Fantasy of Saint Sans are scenes from zoos, the nature reserve at Sigean, near Narbonne, and the Swiss children’s zoo at Rapperswil.The music is taken from the orchestral suites derived by Georges Bizet from his music for Alphonse Daudet’s melodrama L’Arlsienne (The Girl from Arles), the story of the vain love and suicide of a young relative of the Provenal poet Mistral. Camille Saint-Sans composed his Carnival of the Animals to entertain his friends. The procession of animals ranges from lions to fish, pianists, critics and fossils.