The Carnival of Animals
Created by Trevor Copp & Robin Patterson
Number of Performers: 2
Language: English and/or French
Length: 1 hour
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The Carnival of Animals is a classical music composition by Camille Saint-Saëns, often used to introduce children to the world of classical Western music with movements devoted to elephants, chickens, and turtles. Our production features Trevor Copp's interpretation of these animals - watch him become a clucking, growling, and flapping parade of animals who bridge this wonderful music to the hearts of children and adults alike.
Each animal will also be introduced by poems considering the ecological role these animals play in this world we share, poems that were longlisted for the Canadian Society for Children's Literature awards. The Carnival of Animals tours as a solo show or as a performance with orchestras.
A special feature of 'Carnival' is the original texts. 'Carnival' is traditionally performed using the poetry of Ogden Nash, text which we felt could use some updating. So we penned new verses, creating a collection of poems which draws attention to the Environmental themes of the music.
Here's the first poem:
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Before the thrill
When Saint-Saëns’ quill
Notated this noted notation,
That quill had a bill
Whose trills filled hills
From nation to nation to nation.
Can we return that quill
To the bird who trilled
And flew and feasted and foraged?
Who saw from great heights
The world and its sites
Then fell among the foliage?
Can these strings grow wings?
Can this flute song sing
As sounded the Amazon basin?
Can these reeds reseed
Till the trees and weeds
Reclaim their conquered kingdom?
Can these ivory tusks,
The keys we now thrust,
Regain their hornèd complexion?
And grow like plants
Into the elephants
From whose hollowed husks we plucked them?
Sit in silence broken.
I think I see the first one…
