Chorus (with soloists)
and orchestra (choir:
SATB - orch:
3(2picc).A-fl.2.cor
ang.Eb-clar.2.B-clar.3.db
le bsn - 4.4.3.1 -
timp.perc(8) - 2hp.cel -
str)
SKU:
BR.PB-5650
Ballet
en 3 parties -
Urtext. Composed by
Maurice Ravel. Edited by
Jean-Francois Monnard.
Choir; Softbound.
Partitur-Bibliothek
(Score Library). Music
theatre; Ballet; Early
modern. Full score. 284
pages. Duration 50'.
Breitkopf and Haertel #PB
5650. Published by
Breitkopf and Haertel
(BR.PB-5650).
ISBN
9790004215470. 10.5 x 14
inches.
Daphnis et
Chloe is certainly not
only one of Ravel's best
works, but also one of
French music's most
beautiful creations,
thus, Stravinsky's view
of this ballet in his
memoirs, published in
1935. Composing the work,
commissioned by the
Ballets Russes, turned
out to be problematic,
involving linguistic
differences and
remuneration
disagreements that
dragged on among the
choreographer,
impresario, and composer.
Too few rehearsals, a
difficult choreography,
tricky 5/4-meter, and
other oddities in the
music probably led,
ultimately, to a subdued
reception of the work at
its Paris premiere in
1912. Only a later
production with costumes
and set by Chagall
significantly contributed
to the ballet's success.
Today the work is a
monument to Impressionist
orchestration,
incorporating the
narration within the
sound material. Each
instrument is treated in
the most effective way
possible. Remarkable are
the strings' extreme
divisi, their harmonics'
glissandi, and other
enigmatic effects, such
as utilizing a wordless
chorus. Individual
performances without
choir likely go back to a
makeshift arrangement
that Ravel produced to
facilitate performance at
less prominent venues.
The appendix to the
Urtext edition includes
this alternative version.
The Ravel specialist
Jean-Francois Monnard has
also edited this ballet
with detailed attention
to the customary Urtext
standard. The preface and
critical report include
numerous references to
both genesis and
performance history as
well as interpretation,
correcting also
previously handed-down
errors. The large format
of the conductor's score
and orchestral parts are
easy to read and support
the clarity and
transparency of the
modern notation without
any loss to the magic of
Ravel's music. Stay tuned
for the publication of
the corresponding suites
in the upcoming
years.