Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2 (3rd Edition) Cover Image

Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2 (3rd Edition): Full Orchestra, Ensemble Works

$140.00 USD
$140.00 USD
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Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2 (3rd Edition) Cover Image
Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2 (3rd Edition): Full Orchestra, Ensemble Works

Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2 (3rd Edition): Full Orchestra, Ensemble Works

By Maurice Ravel / arr. Clinton Nieweg/ Carol Westfall

Item: 36-A675401OS
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Description
Ravel's longest work at almost an hour, the complete one-act ballet Daphnis et Chloe was described by the composer as a "symphonie choregraphique" (choreographic symphony). Ravel began the work, a romance about the Greek goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloe, upon receiving a 1909 commission from famed Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, and the premiere in 1912 included Vaslav Nijinksky and Tamara Karsavina in the title roles. Full of lush harmonies typical of the impressionist movement and musical leitmotifs, the work is considered among Ravel's most passionate and best compositions. Ravel extracted the music from the ballet to make two orchestra suites, which can be performed with or without chorus, of which this Suite No. 2 is particularly popular. Instrumentation: 3(2&3dPicc)+Picc+Afl.2+EH.2+BCl+EbCl.3+CtrBsn: 4.4.3.1: Timp.Perc(8): Hp(2): Clst: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Mx Chor (available separately). 11x14 Score.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Oversized Score Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-88-852231-X
ISBN13: 979-8-88-852231-8
UPC: 676737517120
SKU: 36-A675401OS
Instrumentation: Detailed Instrumentation: 3(2&3dPicc)+Picc+Afl.2+EH.2+BCl+EbCl.3+CtrBsn: 4.4.3.1: Timp.Perc(8): Hp(2): Clst: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Mx Chor (available separately)

More about this title

About the Composer: Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French composer whose harmonic innovation and orchestral mastery defined early 20th-century music. Though often grouped with the Impressionists, Ravel resisted the label, insisting on the precision and formal architecture underlying his lush, colorful soundscapes. His orchestrations are studied in conservatories worldwide as models of instrumental writing, and his ballets remain cornerstones of the orchestral repertoire.

Ravel's gifts for melody, rhythm, and instrumental color earned him commissions from the most prestigious institutions of his era. He composed Daphnis et Chloe for the legendary Ballets Russes at a time when ballet was reshaping modern music. Though he lived through two world wars and endured a degenerative neurological condition in his final years, his output spans operas, concertos, solo works, and chamber music, all marked by technical brilliance and emotional depth.

Why we love this

Suite No. 2 opens with one of orchestral literature's most recognizable moments: the wordless chorus entering over shimmering strings and harp, a visceral statement of Ravel's genius for orchestral color. The suite balances showstopping climaxes with intimate, impressionistic passages, giving conductors and orchestras both technical and interpretive challenges at a manageable length.

What to expect

The music unfolds like a dream suffused with daylight, moving from intimate pastoral scenes to moments of ecstatic abandon. Shimmering woodwind colors and floating harp lines give way to propulsive dance rhythms and a climax of overwhelming joy, all wrapped in Ravel's signature orchestral translucence.

Who it's for

Advanced orchestras and university ensembles with substantial personnel and the musical maturity to sustain Ravel's impressionistic textures. Conductors leading this work should have experience balancing chromatic harmony, managing large percussion sections, and bringing out the architectural shape beneath the sensuous surface.

How to get the most out of it

  • Attend carefully to the double-reed solos in the early section; these moments require warm, singing tone and rhythmic flexibility to support the impressionistic harmony without rushing.
  • Balance the harp and celesta against the full orchestra in the famous choral moment. Neither should disappear, but the voices and upper strings must remain transparent.
  • Rehearse the climactic Danse générale in sections, locking rhythms between the high woodwinds and strings before combining with brass; the energy should feel inevitable, not forced.
  • Use the exposed horn passage (Daphnis alone) to establish the emotional core of the finale; this solo sets the character for all that follows.

How to use it

Suite No. 2 works as a showcase finale to a concert built around French and Russian repertoire of the early 20th century, or as a major work framing a season focused on impressionism and early modernism. At roughly 15 minutes, it can anchor a program without requiring more than one major symphonic work alongside it.

Skills your students will build

  • Sustaining impressionistic harmony and avoiding rhythmic straightness in slow passages
  • Balance and blend of multiple instrumental lines in thick orchestration
  • Precision in mixed meter and syncopated rhythmic figures
  • Exposed solo performance on secondary instruments (English horn, basset horn, horns)
  • Coordination of large percussion section (eight players) without drowning sustained harmonic colors
  • Reading and interpreting unconventional orchestration (divisi strings, optional chorus, antique cymbals)

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