Ma Mere l鈥橭ye, Cinq pieces enfantines - Mother Goose, Five children鈥檚 pieces
1. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Pavane of Sleeping Beauty)
2. Petit Poucet: Tr猫s mod茅r茅 (Little Tom Thumb / Hop-o'-My-Thumb)
3. Laideronnette, imp茅ratrice des pagodes (Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas)
4. Les entretiens de la belle et de la b锚te (Conversation of Beauty and the Beast)
5. Le jardin f茅erique (The Fairy Garden)
French composer Maurice Ravel was often regarded during his lifetime as France鈥檚 greatest living composer, and the sheer quality of his music has ensured his lasting popularity.
A student of Faur茅, and a member of Les Apaches; a collective of innovative young artists, poets, critics and musicians who met regularly, until the outbreak of the First World War, to challenge each other with intellectual debate and performances of their new works, Ravel was a highly gifted orchestrator, breathing life, colour and texture into his music, and reinventing some of his most popular piano works. One such piece being Ma Mere l鈥橭ye, Cinq pieces enfantines (Mother Goose, Five children鈥檚 pieces) 鈥� Originally written in 1910 for two pianos, the suite was orchestrated by the composer himself, at the behest of his publisher, only one year later.
Evoking memories of childhood poetry, each of the five movements in this utterly charming work is based on a fairy tale. Full of playfulness, excitement and character, Ravel鈥檚 orchestration glimmers with a childlike innocence and purity even more poignant than in its original form.
In 1912 the suite underwent a second transformation鈥� this time as a continuous 30 minute ballet score encapsulating the original five movements alongside some additional music to capture Ravel鈥檚 narrative. Totally in keeping with his original vision for the piece, Ravel insisted on writing this narrative himself, and the result? Well, a fairy tale of course! Imagine Sleeping Beauty pricking her finger on the spinning wheel, falling asleep and dreaming of Little Tom Thumb, Little Ugly and Beauty in the Beast before being kissed by her handsome prince and waking up in a Fairy Garden, and you鈥檙e perfectly poised to lose yourself in the story.
The version performed here by 大象传媒 NOW, under conductor Chlo茅 van Soeterst猫de, is the orchestrated suite from 1911, but as you listen make sure you keep Ravel鈥檚 overarching ballet narrative in mind for a truly submersive experience.
Programme Note 漏 Amy Campbell