Inspired by the children’s tales of Charles Perrault, in 1910 Maurice Ravel composed the suite Ma mère l’Oye as a piano duet. He subtitled it “five children’s pieces”, but in 1911 he would return to the same musical themes to compose the orchestral version, which is most frequently performed in our days.

Later that year, he would create a ballet with the same title. In Pulcinella, Stravinsky composed the score for the Ballets Russes from music attributed to the 18th century composer G. B. Persolesi, in response to a suggestion to work on the tradition of Italian commedia dell’arte.

 

PROGRAMME

Gulbenkian Orchestra
Lorenzo Viotti Conductor

Maurice Ravel
Ma mère l’Oye

Igor Stravinsky
Suite from Pulcinella