Go wild with symphony's 'Carnival of the Animals'
Glacier Symphony presents the fantasy “Carnival of the Animals” at concert halls in Whitefish and Kalispell on Jan. 18-19. The symphony will present a full orchestra arrangement by Bill Holcombe that includes narration with accompanying animation projected over the orchestra.
Alpine Theatre Project actor and founder Luke Walrath will be the guest narrator.
Concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center; and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Flathead High Performance Hall in Kalispell.
Written in 1886 by French romantic composer, Camille Saint-Saëns, the humorous suite brings a veritable circus parade of animals to life through the skillful use of the instruments of the orchestra.
“The piece is written in 14 very short movements each depicting an animal or animal scene,” John Zoltek, music director of the Glacier Symphony, said.
The sounds of roaring lions will roar, soaring swans and singing birds will fill the air. Elephants, kangaroos, donkeys — even fish in the aquarium and fossils in the ground — star in this magical composition.
“Interestingly, Saint-Saëns did not want the piece to be published during his lifetime or be performed until after his death because he considered it too light and frivolous for an accomplished composer,” Zoltek said.
He did allow one movement featuring a lovely cello solo, to be used for a ballet featuring Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. In 1905 she premiered “The Dying Swan” and became famous through its roughly 4,000 performances.
After Saint-Saëns’ death in 1922, “Carnival” was performed in its entirety and quickly became one of his most popular works. Over the years the music has become a backdrop for children’s story books, ballet interpretations and even a wildly silly Walt Disney cartoon featuring Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny starring as pianists with the orchestra.
The concert continues with another classical favorite, “The Fantastic Toyshop” by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. Zoltek says the piece is based on piano works by another 19th-century composer, Gioachino Rossini, and tells an imaginary story about two can-can dancer dolls for sale in a toyshop.
“After they and other dolls perform wonderful dances, an American customer buys the boy doll and a Russian family buys the girl doll,” Zoltek said. “They leave, arranging to pick up the dolls the next day. After nightfall all the dolls magically come to life and the can-can dolls decide leave rather than be separated. The customers return the next day and blame the shopkeeper, so the dolls attack the customers and the story continues.”
This piece has also become a popular ballet and is a staple of dance companies worldwide. Maestro Zoltek has filled out the family-friendly concert with two more popular dance pieces; “Polonaise” from Tchaikovsky’s wonderful ballet Swan Lake and the finale from “The Firebird,” by Stravinsky.
An Instrument Petting Zoo will be held 45 minutes before the concerts begin, organized by the North Valley Music School. The free demonstration will allow children to hold and try out a variety of instruments and learn about the sounds they make.
A special ticket price of $10 for youth through grade 12 is being offered for this concert. Tickets can be purchased on the GSC website; www.gscmusic.org or by calling 407-7000 or at the box office located at 69 N. Main St. Kalispell.