The Carnival of the Animals conclusion of the verse for the "Fossils", for example, fits perfectly with the punchline-like first bar of the music: In 2014 the English contemporary music organisation New Music in the South West (NMSW) commissioned a set of responses to the 14 movements of "Carnival of the Animals". The pieces, collectively known as "A Modern Menagerie", were premièred by the Bristol Ensemble on 7 September 2014 at St. George’s, Bristol. The programme consisted of the original Saint-Saëns movements interleaved with the contemporary responses under the title "Carnival of the Animals" meets "A Modern Menagerie". A number of the composers have taught
Carnival in the Netherlands and Vorarlberg (Western Austria). It traditionally represents the time of year when the reign of the cold, grim winter spirits is over and these spirits are being driven out and expelled by the Carnaval rituals. Also the ritual re-enactment of the Wild Hunt was a cultural phenomenon among many Gallic and Germanic peoples. There is evidence that the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Bacchanalia may have been absorbed into the Italian carnival, while other scholars say that there is insufficient evidence to draw any connection between these festivals and the modern Christian Carnival. The Saturnalia, in turn, may be