Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Prélude à l' après -midi d'un faune (French for Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun ) is a symphonic poem Claude Debussy, Stéphane Mallarmé's poem L' free after après -midi d'un faune. It was premiered on 22 December 1894 in Paris.

Debussy's Prélude is considered a masterpiece of musical impressionism, and is a turning point in the development of modern music. Together with Mallarmé's poetry, it served as inspiration and as Vaslav Nijinsky's musical accompaniment for ballet L' après -midi d'un faune. All three works occupy a central position in their respective art form and in the development of modern art.

Work

Prélude à l' après -midi d'un faune is an instrumental work in 110 cycles with a playing time of around ten minutes. Debussy Nomenclature of the instrument comprises 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 harps, 2 antique cymbals or Crotales and a symphonic string quintet. As a symphonic poem, Prelude set to music the famous poem of Mallarmé, but lacks loud Debussy basically all narrativity. This commented:

"La musique de ce Prélude est une très libre illustration du beau poème de Mallarmé. Elle ne désire güre résumer ce poème, mais les veut suggérer différentes atmosphères, au milieu desquelles Evoluent les désirs, et les rêves de l' Egipan, par cette brulante après -midi. To continue it Fatigué de nymphes craintives et Naïades timides, il s'abandonne à un sommet d'un rêve voluptueux qu'anime le désir enfin réalisé: la possession complète de la nature entière ".

" The music of this Préludes depicts in a very free way Mallarmé's beautiful poem; they do not want to actually recount, but wake the different moods, desires and dreams of the faun develop in its center. Tired of it to follow the scary Nymphs and Naiads shy, he gives himself a climax of pleasure down to the dream of a fulfilled wish finally leads. Of perfect possession of the whole of nature "

Formation

Stéphane Mallarmé wrote his poem L' après -midi d'un faune in 1865, but until 1876 it could publish. There was some recognition in Impressionist circles and was illustrated by Édouard Manet. The poem is, as Mallarmé's works in general, characterized by extremely suggestive symbolism. The musical quality of the language Mallarmé had significant composers to deal with him, as well as Claude Debussy Prélude à l' après- in midi d' un faune by 1894. 1913 Debussy set to music again Mallarmé, strangely, almost the same time as Maurice Ravel and also the same poems ( Soupir and placet futile ) like this. L' Après -midi d'un faune Debussy served in his own words, however, as mere inspiration for his Prelude.

Debussy was probably the first time carefully a review Theodor de Wyzewas ' in the Symbolist periodical La Vogue on Mallarmé's poem and recommended it in 1887 Paul Dukas with great enthusiasm. A setting intention was not yet at this time apparently. The first drafts of the play comes from the turn of 1890/91 and should be used as background music for a reading of Mallarmé's poem, which was scheduled for 27 February 1891. However, neither the performance took place, yet the music was completed. A year later, Debussy began work on it again, intending to compose a three-piece suite Prelude, Interlude et paraphrase final sur l' après -midi d'un faune. To this end, it never came true, but this project gave the piece its name alone realized.

The not yet definitive version of Debussy Prélude played in 1893 and 1894 in a piano version and some friends also Mallarmé before. Recent changes to the orchestration even before he took during rehearsals for the premiere. This took place on 22 December 1894 in the Société Nationale de Musique in Paris, followed by a repeat the next day.

Reception

Debussy Prélude à l' après managed with -midi d'un faune his artistic breakthrough. The response from the public was good, while the criticism from the experts failed ambivalent. Paul Dukas expressed praise, others advised Debussy, he should return to greater simplicity. This was the conclusion, for example, Camille Saint- Saëns: " The Prelude sounds pretty, but you can not find the slightest musical idea expressed therein. There is so much music piece like an artist's palette paintings. Debussy has created a style he has cultivated the lack of style, logic [ ... ] " Pierre Boulez has appointed the piece to the starting point of modern music in retrospect, . with respect to the Faunmotiv ( a whole-tone and four half steps down to the tritone and the return to the initial note on two whole-tone and two half steps ), one of the most famous musical passages, he remarked: " C'est avec la faune du flute que commence une respiration nouvelle de l'art musical [ ... ], on peut dire que la musique modern commence avec l' après -midi d'un faune. " ( German :" The flute of the Faun, the music has begun to draw new breath [ ... ], one can say that the modern music begins with L' Après -midi d'un Faune. " )

The music and the poetry of Mallarmé later served as the basis for an eponymous ballet Vaslav Nijinsky in 1912, which also is considered a landmark of modern art (in this case those of the dance ). 1938 turned Roberto Rossellini a short documentary film with this title. The Italian artist Bruno Bozzetto used Prélude à l' après -midi d'un faune for its style similar to Walt Disney's Fantasia animated film Allegro non troppo from 1976, where he gave a humorous and melancholy painting history.