French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” has been a fan favorite with audiences young and old since its creation in 1886.

Helmed by Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) assistant conductor Chai Haofu, the orchestra will join hands with the children’s play production company The Mo’s to present this masterpiece in the form of a play, in the hope that this Children’s Day special will entertain youngsters as well as their parents. The show will also feature piano duo Helen Sim and Du Ningwu.

The show’s plot follows Pei Pei the cat, an elegant diva whose life in the limelight has led her to look down upon everyone else except her daughter Amy. A gig to serve as the artistic director of an amateur production of “Carnival of the Animals” takes her to the forest. Her harsh criticism and arrogance towards the performers lead to a row with Lion, producer of the show, and the exposure of a secret about Pei Pei, formerly kept by her agent.

Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” originated with “The Swan,” a musical portrait of the water bird as a solo to mark his cellist friend Charles Joseph Lebouc’s retirement. But his passion for nature led him to expand it into a lighthearted suite of 14 movements, a sparkling celebration of animals big and small, full of satire, humor, mystery and imagination.

It begins with a brief introduction, which soon brings the lion swaggering in as king of the beasts. Hens and roosters follow with some frenetic crowing, clucking and pecking, cut off by the piano as if with one swipe of a carving knife. Wild donkeys chase one another around the piano keyboards with exceptional fleetness of hoof. The work also portrays the tortoise, the elephant and the hopping kangaroos.

“Aquarium” is a glistening magical seascape, and “The Swan” is a gorgeous cello solo. The most mysterious movement is the cuckoo in the wood, a distant clarinet sounding out through the shadows. At last, the creatures take their bows in a final gallop, the music bounding through references to their different themes, rolled into one.

The composer had requested the suite not to be published until after his death (except for “The Swan”) so that its popularity wouldn’t overshadow his other works.

Sim studied at the Juilliard School with Russian pianist Oxana Yablonskaya. She won first prizes of the Westchester Symphony Orchestra Competition, the Yonkers Philharmonic Music Competition, the National Young Artists Competition of Texas, and the Senigallia International Piano Competition of Italy.

Sim and her husband Du formed the piano duo Du & Sim in 2000 and, in 2001, they were the top prizewinners and recipients of the Baronessa Titetta Cafici Savarese Award at the IBLA Grand Prize International Piano Competition in Italy.

Chai studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the School of Music, University of South Carolina in the United States. He won the President of Jury Award at Bucharest Music Institute’s international conducting competition in 2018.

Time: 4 p.m., 8 p.m., May 29

Tickets: 50-880 yuan

Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao”

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (福田区深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(Li Dan)