Matinées musicales

Matinées musicales is a 1941 composition by Benjamin Britten.

Matinées musicales
by Benjamin Britten
Formsuite
ComposedJune 1941
Performed27 June 1941

History

This is a suite, which consists in part of previously written music. Britten wrote a score for Lotte Reininger's 1938 film The Tocher,[1] but could not use everything in the five minutes the film lasts. The Soirées musicales was first drawn from the original film score and about five years later the Matinées musicales followed. There is certainly a difference; the Soirées were first written as a suite for orchestra, the Matinées directly as ballet. Lincoln Kirstein had contracted George Balanchine and sought to produce an extension to the Soirées for a South American tour of the American Ballet.

Music

The music is inspired by compositions of Gioachino Rossini in the same way the Soirées were. And again there are five sections:

  1. March (from William Tell, act 1, "Pas de six")
  2. Nocturne (from Rossini's Soirées Musicales, nr. 10 "La pesca")
  3. Waltz (from Rossini's Soirées Musicales, nr. 4 "L'orgia")
  4. Pantomime (from Rossini's Soirées Musicales, nr. 2 "Il rimproveso")
  5. Moto perpetuo (Gorgheggi e solfeggi)

The premiere of Soirées musicales took place close to home (London), the first performance of Matinées musicales took place on 27 June 1941 in the Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro), under the leadership of the ballet orchestra's Emanuel Balaban.

Orchestration

Discography

The composition has received a significantly larger number of recordings by comparison with Britten's other works. Gramophone recommends the 1956 recording by Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra published by First Hand. Richard Bonynge and the National Philharmonic Orchestra have recorded a typical ballet version.

References
  1. The Tocher, British Film Institute
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