L'enfant et les sortilèges | ravel opera
OperabyMauriceRavelLenfantetlessortilèges:Fantaisielyriqueendeuxparties(TheChildandtheSpells:ALyricFantasyinTwoParts)isanoperainoneact,withmusicbyMauriceRaveltoalibrettobyColette.ItisRavelssecondopera,hisfirstbeingLheureespagnole.Writtenfrom1917to1925,LenfantetlessortilègeswasfirstperformedinMonteCarloin1925conductedbyVictordeSabata.Afterbeingofferedtheopportunitytowriteamusicalwork,Colettewrotethetextineightdays.SeveralcomposershadproposedtoColettethatshewritetomusic,butshewasonlyexcitedbyt...
Opera by Maurice Ravel
Lenfant et les sortilèges: Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties (The Child and the Spells: A Lyric Fantasy in Two Parts) is an opera in one act, with music by Maurice Ravel to a libretto by Colette. It is Ravels second opera, his first being Lheure espagnole. Written from 1917 to 1925, Lenfant et les sortilèges was first performed in Monte Carlo in 1925 conducted by Victor de Sabata.
After being offered the opportunity to write a musical work, Colette wrote the text in eight days. Several composers had proposed to Colette that she write to music, but she was only excited by the prospect of Ravel.
Composition history[edit]During World War I, the Opéra de Paris director Jacques Rouché asked Colette to provide the text for a fairy ballet. Colette originally wrote the story under the title Divertissements pour ma fille. After Colette chose Ravel to set the text to music, a copy was sent to him in 1916 while he was still serving in the wa...