Arnold Böcklin - 'Faun einer Amsel zupfeifend' (Faun whistling to a blackbird) Photo: Public Domain
'The Afternoon of a Faun' is a poem by Stephane Mallarmé, and in 1894 Debussy wrote this musical evocation of it.
There are 110 lines in the poem, and 110 bars of Debussy’s music. With its famous opening arabesques on the flute, it is one of Debussy’s most famous works, and is considered a turning point in the history of music, even perhaps the beginning of modern music.
Debussy himself said of the piece: “there is a succession of scenes through which pass the desires and dreams of the faun in the heat of the afternoon. Then, tired of pursuing the timorous flight of nymphs and naiads, he succumbs to intoxicating sleep, in which he can finally realize his dreams of possession in universal Nature.”
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 22 October 2020
Producer: Tim Dodd; Engineer: Adrian Hollay
