Six Metamorphoses after Ovid
Six Metamorphoses after Ovid (Op. 49) is a piece of program music for solo oboe written by English composer Benjamin Britten in 1951.
History
The piece was inspired by
Structure
Each of the six sections is based on a character from Roman mythology who is briefly described:[1]
- Pan, "who played upon the reed pipe which was Syrinx, his beloved."
- Phaeton, "who rode upon the chariot of the sun for one day and was hurled into the river Padus by a thunderbolt."
- Niobe, "who, lamenting the death of her fourteen children, was turned into a mountain."
- Bacchus, "at whose feasts is heard the noise of gaggling women's tattling tongues and shouting out of boys."
- Narcissus, "who fell in love with his own image and became a flower."
- Arethusa, "who, flying from the love of Alpheus the river god, was turned into a fountain."
The piece is between 10 and 15 minutes in length.
Music
The music of the first metamorphosis echoes the "free-spirited" character of its titular figure: it is unmeasured and includes frequent pauses. This contrasts with the second metamorphosis, a quick and rhythmic representation of the chariot ride of Phaeton, marked vivace ritmico. The third is slower and is marked piangendo, or "crying". The four-part fourth metamorphosis reflects the atmosphere of a drunken feast or festival. The fifth, marked lento piacevole, is meant to convey the act of staring at a reflection in a pool. The work concludes with a "pleasant and meandering" representation of beauty and flow.[2]
See also
- List of characters in Metamorphoses
References
- ^ a b "Britten Metamorphoses after Ovid". Philharmonia Orchestra. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Jane Erb. "Concert C4" (PDF). Tyalgum Festival. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
External links
- "Benjamin Britten and his Metamorphosis" by George Caird, UCE Conservatoire, 2006 - Double Reed News, No 76
- Youtube video: Benjamin Britten - Six Metamorphoses after Ovid / Xiaodi Liu / Festival Mozaic, oboe solo