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Carnival of the Animals

Carnival of the Animals —Cincinnati Pops/John Morris Russell (Fanfare Cincinnati 004)

Each of the July Choice CDs has at least a few selections by American composers.  This program qualifies thanks to ‘beastly’ pieces by Bernstein, Gershwin and Copland.  The Carnival of the Animals itself is, of course, by a French composer, but here Saint-Saëns’s zoological fantasy speaks with an American accent. It is the delightful new orchestration by Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell; the two pianists are gone (but not the solo cello in The Swan, or the xylophone in Fossils). The musical menagerie includes turkeys, bears, dogs, ponies and all manner of insects.  This 93rd Cincinnati Pops album also features the world premiere recording of Waiting for Wings, an overture based on Lois Ehlert’s immensely popular children’s book, composed by Jason Robert Brown and Georgia Stitt.

Featured Thu 7/2, Mon 7/13, Wed 7/22, Fri 7/31