The great opera composer Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) was really a card! He was the one who said that the best time to write an overture for an opera was the evening before opening night. He pays tribute to the feline world with his Cat Duet, sung here by Mady Mesplé and Jane Berbié.
The greatest tribute to animals was given by Camille Saint-Saëns in his Carnival of the Animals. Scored for two pianos and orchestra, it portrays such diverse creatures as the lion, jackass, turtle, elephant, kangaroo, mule, birds,a swan, and even pianists (!). The American poet Ogden Nash even went so far as to create humorous verses for each movement and some recordings have featured both his words as well as the musical performance. Here’s a sample of the piece, performed in that fashion with William Shatner (Captain James Tiberius Kirk) and Joan Rivers featured as voices.
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