Today, on a very special episode of Nullary Sources, we present to you a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals from the 2005 Dubrovnik Festival of Chamber Music. The movement accompanying this post is “Introduction and Royal March of the Lion,” but the rest of the movements have been uploaded to a playlist, save for “Wild Asses,” which is private for some reason.
This performance is somewhat notable because it’s narrated by Roger Moore. He introduces each movement with a poem. A poem which appears to be written for this performance.
Let that one sink in. Sir Roger Moore reciting original poetry about animals. Poetry like this:
The lion is the king of beasts;
His crown a golden mane.
He has an air of dignity
And yellow-eyed disdain.
His paws, which look so velvety,
Aren’t only there for show,
So if he asks you ‘round for tea,
It’s wiser not to go.
Watch it all.