Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

Ravel’s masterpiece, Daphnis et Chloé, was composed for the Ballets Russes and premièred in 1912. Ravel described his sumptuous score, for large orchestra, wind machine and wordless chorus, as “a choreographic symphony in three parts … a vast musical fresco … faithful to the Greece of my dreams”. His earliest orchestral work, the “fairy overture” Shéhérazade is all that remains of a planned opera based on The Thousand and One Nights. Ravel conducted the première in 1899, although the score remained unpublished until 1975.