Daphnis et Chloé - synopsis

Daphnis et Chloé CD 1

Daphnis et Chloé is set in ancient Greece among the shepherds and shepherdesses of the isle of Lesbos.

Part One

The curtain rises (I) on a clearing in a sacred wood. At the the entrance to a cave are three stone nymphs and, in the background, a large rock vaguely in the shape of the god Pan. A procession of shepherds and shepherdesses bring offerings to the nymphs and perform a religious dance (II). Daphnis and Chloé briefly join in the ceremony before he is distracted by a young girls’ dance (III). Piqued by jealousy, Chloé is surrounded by young men, the cowherd Dorcon prominent among them. Now it is Daphnis’s turn to be jealous. He and his rival agree to compete for a kiss from Chloé.    Dorcon’s dance is so grotesque (IV) as to provokes only laughter whereas the light and graceful Daphnis (V) wins the prize. The shepherds and shepherdesses go away taking Chloé with them. Daphnis stays behind    in solitary ecstasy, giving the seductive Lyceion an opportunity to test her charms on him (VI). She fails but leaves him disturbed. The peaceful pastoral atmosphere is shattered by the entry of Bryaxix and his band of pirates, who succeed in abducting Chloé. Daphnis is so shocked that he falls in a faint in the entrance to the cave of the nymphs, who climb down from their pedestals to dance a ritual invocation of the the god Pan (VII). They awaken Daphnis who prays for Pan’s intercession. A wordless, unaccompanied chorus eventually overlaid by military horn and trumpet calls (VIII) effects a change of scene.

Part Two

The lights go up on the pirates’ camp and their fierce war dance (IX). Bryaxix has Chloé brought to him and orders her to dance, which she reluctantly and pleadingly does (X). Bryaxix is about to drag her away when the situation is saved by the intervention of Pan, whose army of satyrs defeat the pirates. Pan himself puts in a brief but impressive appearance before the scene returns to that of Part One.

Part Three

It is dawn (XI). Dew ripples from the rocks and, as birds sing and shepherds pass by, the sun slowly rises. A group of shepherds find Daphnis asleep by the nymphs’ cave. On awakening his first thought is of Chloé – who to his joy is brought to him safe and sound. They fall into each other’s arms. An old shepherd explains that if it was Pan who saved her it was in memory of the nymph Syrinx whom he loved. Daphnis and Chloé mime the story of Syrinx (XII): alarmed by the god’s advances, the nymph disappears into a reed bed, from which he fashions a pan-pipe to express his despair. Chloé reappears to dance to Daphnis’s impassioned flute solo. They once again fall into each other’s arms. Daphnis swears his faith before the altar of the nymphs. The ballet ends with general rejoicing (XIII) – the crowd occasionally dispersing to allow a glimpses not only of Daphnis and Chloé but also of Dorcon – and a full-scale bacchanale.

Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) CD2

The Prelude (I), echoing with the distant hunting-horn calls of the Prince who is to make his entry in the last episode, sets the fairy-tale scene and anticipates music associated with some of the principal characters – the woodwind birds who will cause such trouble for Tom Thumb, Princess Florine herself in a chastely expressive flute solo, and the Beast on a plaintive double bass. Sitting at her spinning wheel (II), which can be heard whirring away on the strings, Florine trips, pricks her finger, and faints. To the sound of a gentle Pavane (III) she is gently carried to a couch where she will dream the time away until she is reawakened in the approved fairy-tale manner.

She dreams first (IV) that she is Beauty in conversation with the Beast, who is finally transformed into a handsome prince. Next (V) she dreams of Tom Thumb feeling his way on woodwind through the forest of strings, marking the path with crumbs which, alas, are eaten by hungry birds. As Little Ugly, Empress of the Pagodas (VI), Florine is marooned on the Island of the Pagodins – tiny creatures of crystal, porcelain, and precious stones – who play to her on walnut-shell theorbos and almond-shell viols. In a rhapsodic finale set in the Fairy Garden (VII) the sleeping Princess is discovered by Prince Charming, who duly awakens her with a kiss.