The Carnival of Emotions

Our earliest years in life are when we first discover emotions, which music often awakens more deeply than words. Based on Saint-Saëns’s masterpiece, The Carnival of Emotions tells young children the story of a little girl setting out to explore her feelings… Cuddly toys are welcome!

When Saint-Saëns composed The Carnival of the Animals for a Mardi Gras party at a friend’s house, he surely never imagined that this musical joke would become a world-famous score! Quoting and twisting Offenbach, Berlioz, Rossini, and well-known nursery rhymes, the work brims with unbridled inventiveness across the full spectrum of emotions. The lion embodies pride, the hens and roosters evoke jealousy, and the pianists — “very special animals” for the composer — recap all the impressions of the day. Little Camille’s emotional treasure hunt, accompanied and guided by her mother, is brought to life through a playful interplay of sounds and lights that will captivate not only small children but audiences of all ages.

Note: Specially designed for the youngest audiences, the show is offered in two versions—one for families and one for nurseries and preschools: 35 minutes for children from birth to 18 months, and 45 minutes for children from 18 months to 4 years old.

10:00 AM – from birth to 18 months
11:00 AM – from 18 months to 4 years old

Musical Director: Dominique Dournaud
Orchestra: Dijon Bourgogne Orchestra (version with 10 musicians)
Author & Staging: Éléonore Nossent
Narrator: Antoine Raffalli

^{The artistic team thanks Devosge Nursery School in Dijon for hosting them in residence in June 2024. Thanks to the students for their attentive participation and to their teachers for their feedback.}

Camille Saint-Saëns
I. Introduction et Marche royale du Lion
II. Poules et Coqs
III. Hémiones (ou Animaux véloces)
V. L’Éléphant
VII. Aquarium
VIII. Personnages à longues oreilles
IX. Le Coucou au fond des bois
X. Volière
XI. Pianistes
XII. Fossiles
XIII. Le Cygne
XIV. Finale