Ma Mère l'Oye, suite - Orchestre Métropolitain

Maurice RAVEL

1875-1937

Although he never married or had children, Maurice Ravel maintained throughout his life a deep fascination with the world of childhood, perhaps in memory of his own happy youth and of the profound attachment he felt for his mother.

This universe is expressed in a particularly touching way in his lyric fantasy L’Enfant et les sortilèges and in the suite Ma Mère l’Oye. Composed between 1908 and 1910, the latter was originally conceived as a suite of five pieces for piano four-hands, dedicated to Mimi and Jean, the children of close friends Ida and Cipa Godebski.

As its title suggests, Ma Mère l’Oye draws inspiration from French fairy tales of the 18th century, especially those by Charles Perrault, the Baroness d’Aulnoy, and Madame Leprince de Beaumont. The suite was premiered on April 20, 1910, at the Salle Gaveau by Jeanne Leleu and Geneviève Duroy (aged 11 and 14) during the inaugural concert of the Société musicale indépendante. Ravel orchestrated the work the following year, which is the version performed today, and in 1912 added interludes to create a ballet that was staged at the Théâtre des Arts.