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.

Date of composition 1951
Premiered 1951, June 14th (the Meare, Thorpeness, Aldeburgh Festival) in Aldeburgh, United Kingdom
Dedicated to 'For Joy Boughton'
Catalogue BTC 1037
Approx. duration 13 minutes
Instruments Oboe
In listings Famous Works
Autotranslations beta Benjamin Britten: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, BTC 1037
Benjamin Britten: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, BTC 1037
Benjamin Britten: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, BTC 1037