To be honest, I have been hesitant today whether to write this review. For no other reason, this CD is my favorite CD! I've heard it hundreds of times. My feelings are different every time I listen to it. The only thing that remains unchanged is the joyful feeling!

I really don’t know what words should be used to describe the characteristics of this CD! The timbre of the instrument, the sweet sound quality, the sound field of a moderate size, the correct proportions of the instrument body, the excellent positioning, the good instantaneous response and the lustrous spatial sound are really perfect!

This "Carnival of the Animals" is one of two masterpieces from the early American independent audiophile label Klavier Records (commonly known as Big K among audiophiles) (the other is Massenet's "Leader"). At that time, it was unanimously recommended by almost all audiophile magazines and CD bibles, and it can be said that every audiophile has one.

"Carnival of the Animals" was composed when Saint-Sa?ns traveled to Austria when he was fifty-one and commissioned by a friend for the local carnival. The fourteen sections of music depict the funny shapes of animals through Saint-Sa?ns' unique ideas, and the music is very lively and lively. Although it is not a so-called serious song, it is beautiful and has always been loved by the public. The entire suite "Carnival of the Animals" was originally in the form of chamber music, played by two pianos and nine instruments. It was later adapted into the more common form of two pianos and orchestra today. Although Saint-Sa?ns depicted animals when he composed this piece of music, the music more or less borrowed from the works of some composers at that time, and he also humorously satirized the images of these composers. However, after writing the music, he He also felt that the joke was too much, so he refused to perform it in public during his lifetime, leaving only "Swan", a beautiful, noble and completely harmless song, to be released alone.

The entire suite consists of the following fourteen songs: (1) Prelude and the March of the Lion; (2) Cock and Hen; (3) Wild Horse; (4) Turtle; (5) Elephant ; (6) Kangaroo, (7) Aquarium; (8) Long-eared man; (9) Cuckoo in the forest; (10) Big birdcage; (11) Pianist; (12) Fossil; (13) Swan; (14) Finale. The thirteenth song "Swan" was published during the author's lifetime. This piece is the most widely circulated piece in this suite. It is often played alone and has even become the representative work of the author Saint-Sa?ns.

In "Carnival of the Animals", Saint-Sa?ns vividly and profoundly reveals the essential relationship between all things in nature through the anthropomorphic description of a group of animals with different shapes and personalities. It depicts the various mentalities and expressions of "people" in different positions. "Carnival of the Animals" seems like a small work, but after listening to it a hundred times, I actually feel that it is a large work with strong philosophical roots. The vivid images contain profound thoughts, just like Chaplin's movies, with their humor. It reveals the essence of society….

The whole song consists of 14 short pieces of music:

1. Prelude and the March of the Lion King. The pauses of the two pianos unfolded the prelude music, and then the majestic march showed the majestic marching steps of the lion, and constantly inserted the chromatic march in the lower part. The lion's roar was like thunder, making people shudder.

2. Hen and rooster. The hen's crow is played on the clarinet and the rooster's crow is played on the piano.

3. Wild donkey. The two pianos play at a galloping speed, flying up and down, depicting wild donkeys galloping freely and wildly in nature.

4. Turtle. The bass string instrument played a humorous tortoise crawling slowly from far to near, looking around from time to time, and occasionally eating a mouthful or two of grass on the roadside. It was unhurried and naive.

5. Elephant. As the main instrument, the double bass plays a lighter waltz. The low sound and the rhythm of the dance music make you imagine an elephant twisting its bulky body, which is both comical and vivid.

6. Kangaroo. The two pianos alternately played jumping sound patterns, depicting the light and agile figures of kangaroos, chasing each other, playing and carefree, which is in sharp contrast to the image of elephants.

7. Aquarium. The arpeggios of the two pianos show the rippling water surface, the sunlight shining directly on the bottom of the clear water, and the various fish swimming leisurely, while the celesta clearly depicts the ripples in the water.

8. "Long-eared Man". The violins played in unison in a special way, and the weird sound represented a donkey-headed monster in Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" roaring at the top of his lungs (which is also the donkey braying that people see every day). This is Saint-Sa?ns. Satirizing those chatty and fearful art authorities.

9. Rhododendron in the forest. The piano gently expresses the quiet forest with chords, and the cuckoo's call is lifelike under the imitation of the clarinet. A kind of harmonious and tranquil nature forms a strong contrast and psychological feeling with the hoarse voice of the previous paragraph.

10. Birdhouse. The trills played by string instruments present the image of birds flying high, with little birds constantly jumping and singing.

11. Pianist. Czerny's simple piano scale exercises are played here repeatedly. It describes a "pianist" who is just beginning to learn the piano and shows off his talents here, and plays very vigorously. One is to satirize those poor pianists.

However, judging from the confident playing, Saint-Sa?ns did not completely deny it.

12. Fossils. Breaking the boundaries of time and space, Saint-Sa?ns gave the ancient fossils vitality. They longed for life and returned to the beautiful nature to join the carnival. The collision of fossils dancing wildly was clearly visible in the playing of the xylophone.

13. Swan. After all the animals with different personalities and shapes appeared on the stage, the noble and sacred swan slowly swam over. The clear lake water reflected the white and beautiful "Queen". Who would not be in awe in the face of beauty and holiness? An extremely beautiful melody flows gently on the cello. This cello work is widely circulated and is often performed alone in concerts.

14. Finale. When beauty and holiness arrive, the real carnival begins. Under the guidance of the prelude, the neat and rhythmic celebration scene is full of vitality, full of passion, full of equality and fraternity, without species boundaries, no distinction between strong and weak. , there is no difference between high and low, no separation of time and space..., only joy! During the carnival, the running and braying of wild donkeys could be vaguely heard, but they were eventually dissolved into the ocean of joy.