The Carnival of the Animals and xylophone. From the beginning, Saint-Saëns regarded the work as a piece of fun. On 9 February 1886 he wrote to his publishers Durand in Paris that he was composing a work for the coming Shrove Tuesday, and confessing that he knew he should be working on his Third Symphony, but that this work was "such fun" (). He had apparently intended to write the work for his students at the École Niedermeyer, but it was first performed at a private concert given by the cellist Charles Lebouc on Shrove Tuesday, 9 March 1886. A second (private) performance was given
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album) Dindisc disputed this, saying the cost to the band for the sleeve was contractually fixed and Virgin took the expense. Reviews of "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark" were positive. Paul Morley in the "New Musical Express" wrote: "How fine and different their melodies can be, how detailed and distinctive their song-structure... there is a constant change in emphasis and dynamics. It's definitely dance music. Orch Man's debut LP is one of the best of the year." "Melody Maker" journalist Ian Birch called the record "Unpretentious, tuneful and unceasingly pleasant". "Sounds" and "International Musician" also offered positive reviews. In a retrospective