Overture Magazine 2013-2014 September-October 2013 | Page 23

Russian,” delayed the production for several seasons. The premiere finally came on
June 8, 1912, with Nijinsky and the great
Tamara Karsavina dancing the title roles
and Pierre Monteux conducting.
Ravel extracted two concert suites from
the score, and the Second Suite — which
comprises the ballet’s third and final tableau —is by far the more often performed.
It has three interlocking movements:
“Dawn,” “Pantomine,” and “Final Dance.”
Earlier in the story, Daphnis and Chloé’s
love has been tested by rivals, and Chloé
has been abducted by pirates, but she is
rescued by the miraculous intervention of
the god Pan.
The third act opens with “probably the
most famous dawn in all music” (Robin
Holloway). Master orchestrator that he
was, Ravel paints the sunrise with all
the Technicolor sounds he can conceive:
the ripple of brooks, the chatter of birds,
and from deep in the orchestral strings a
magnificent song portraying the rising sun,
finally gleaming aloft in the violins. Daphnis awakes, searches frantically for Chloé,
and at the crest of the second crescendo
sees her returning with a party of shepherdesses. Seeing the crown on her head, he
realizes that Pan has saved her in memory
of his love for the nymph Syrinx. Daphnis
and Chloé then mime the courtship of Pan
and Syrinx and Pan’s invention of the flute,
celebrated in a glorious extended flute
solo. The two lovers swear their eternal
fidelity to solemn, brass-dominated music.
Nymphs and shepherds surround them for
a joyously pagan dance. Here Ravel’s 18thcentury ideal seems at last to yield to the
full-blooded style of his Russian colleagues.
Instrumentation for Concerto in G: Flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, clarinet, piccolo clarinet,
two bassoons, two horns, trumpet, trombone,
timpani, percussion, harp and strings.
Instrumentation for Daphpnis et Chloe Suite
No. 2: Two flutes, two piccolos, alto flute, two
oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet,
piccolo clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon,
four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba,
timpani, percussion, two harps, celesta and strings.

“I have been able to share my passion for
the arts with others and explore new ways
of expressing my creativity.”
Fujie Twilling, Living at Willow Valley Since 2004

Willow Valley is more than a senior living community.
It’s a way of life. It’s a beautiful home, exceptional cuisine,
lovely landscaping, and meticulously-maintained campuses.
It’s also a mind-body-spirit approach to wellness and
welcoming neighbors who make the most of every day.
And it’s Lifecare, a wise and valuable investment that
provides long-term care, should you need it.

Visit us. Explore some of our 80+ floorplans. Get to know
people from 37+ states who make Willow Valley home.
Meet our team members who, for nearly 30 years, have
created one of the region’s most innovative, financially
strong, senior living communities. Willow Valley is a
place to engage, learn, enjoy.
800 770 5445 | Lancaster, PA | WillowValleyCommunities.org

Life Lived Forward

Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright ©2013

September– October 2013 |

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