Afternoon of a Faun vs Bolero

Afternoon of a Faun vs Bolero

Claude Debussy's Afternoon of Faun

"Afternoon of a Faun" - Debussy's first symphonic work, which perfectly expressed his personal impressionistic style, it is inspired by the eponymous Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898). French poet, Symbolist head of the school, bringing together around the young poets and artists, the Impressionists, wrote this great poem on the ancient mythological story back in the years 1865-1866 (it was published 10 years later), perhaps inspired by a painting by French artist of the XVIII century Bush London's National Gallery. Mallarme's poetic style - a deliberately complex, obscure, and allegorical - is different at the same time sensual images of brightness, elegance of taste, exquisitely joyous perception of life. Mallarme himself compared his poetry to music: he sought to have his sentence, arranged in a certain way, poetically worked on the reader, like the sound of music on the listener.

Eclogue "Afternoon of a Faun" was intended for the well-known French actor Coquelin the elder - for recitation, illustrated by dancing. Debussy, who met with the eclogite in 1886, decided to supplement the reading of a private three-song: a prelude, interlude and finale (paraphrase). However, the meaning of the poem was completely exhausted as early as the prelude, not requiring continuation. Hearing it for the first time in the author's execution on the piano, Mallarme was delighted: "I was not expecting anything like that! The music keeps the mood of my poems and complements the more vividly than the colors. "

Save this program is likely to belong to Debussy, "Music of the" Prelude "- a very free illustration of a beautiful poem by Mallarme. It does not claim to be the synthesis of the poem. Rather, it is the following one after the other landscapes, including the desires and dreams soar in the afternoon heat of the Faun. Then, tired of harassment fearfully fleeing nymphs, it is given to the captivating sleep, dreams finally the full implementation of the completeness of possession of a comprehensive nature. "

And in a letter written a year after the completion of "Afternoon of a Faun" (1894), Debussy explained the principle of its software in a joking tone: "This is a general impression of the poem, as if trying to more closely follow him to the music breathless, like a cab horse competing with thoroughbred in a race for the Grand Prix.” It premiered on December 22, 1894 in Paris, the National Society in a concert under the control of Gustave Dore. As recalled later conductor, even during the execution of a sudden, he felt that the audience completely subjugated by this music, and immediately after it was played again. It was the first real success of Debussy. In 1912, the music of "Afternoon of a Faun" at the Paris Theatre du Chatelet was raised one-act ballet. Choreographer and performer of the role of the Faun made famous Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, who did not like the composer, who called Nijinsky young savage and perverse ...