Le Carnaval des animaux was conceived in a small Austrian village, while Camille Saint-Saëns was working on his 3rd Symphony with organ, opus 78. Afraid that this humoristic fantasy could cause his oeuvre to be taken less seriously and harm his reputation, he forbade its being published during his lifetime. Aquarium came seventh in the fourteen-number “Grande Fantaisie zoologique”.

The original version of this piece called for an extensive instrumentation: flute, “harmonica” [celesta], pianos I and II, string quartet. Lucien Garban (1877–1959), the official arranger for Éditions Durand, wrote the Aquarium transcription for piano in August 1922. After Le Cygne, Aquarium is probably the bestknown piece in the collection. Its opening can be heard before every screening of the films in competition at the “Palais des Festivals” in Cannes, and many film-makers have used it as background music. 

Historical introduction in French and English by Edmond Lemaître. – New engraving.