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 |
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Famous Works
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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 |