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L'arlésienne (Suite No. 2)

Georges Bizet (arr. Ernest Guiraud)
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1879 | Full Orchestra
  • Excerpt 1
  • Excerpt 2
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II. Intermezzo. Andante moderato ma con moto
reh. B - 4 mm. after reh. E
Skills & Techniques:  Dynamic Contrast, Endurance, Phrasing, Slurring Flexibility, Soft Playing
Horn 1 (F)
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Horn 3 (F)
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Berliner Philharmoniker (1985)
Orquesta Reino de Aragón (2020)
IV. Carillon - Allegretto moderato​
reh. A - reh. B
Skills & Techniques: Staccato Style, Tongued Flexibility
Horn 1 (F)
Picture

Berliner Philharmoniker (1985)
Orquesta Reino de Aragón (2020)

Composer & Composition Information

  • Georges Bizet
  • L'arlésienne (Suite No. 2)
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Georges Bizet (1838-1875)

Born into a musical family in 1838, Georges Bizet inherited his parents’ talents, learning to read and write music by age four. Georges had the huge honor of being admitted into the Paris Conservatoire de Musique at nine years old. Bizet continued to awe people when he wrote his first symphony at the age of seventeen for a class assignment at the conservatory. As a city known for high fashion, fine food, and culture, Paris was the perfect place for a young composer because it attracted talented musicians and eager audiences.
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The text & image are reprinted from The Kennedy Center where more information about the composer can be found. 
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L'arlésienne (Suite No. 2)

​Hard up for money, Bizet composed in 1872 incidental music for a play by Alphonse Daudet called L'arlesienne (The Woman from Arles). Embroiled in a war between the proponents of “high” art and “low” art, the critics refused to attend and the play closed after 21 performances to an empty house. But Bizet did not let his incidental music, containing 27 numbers, go to waste. He extracted an orchestral suite that has remained popular in the repertory. After Bizet’s death, his friend Ernest Guiraud extracted a second suite that has become equally popular. Both suites are considerably rewritten from the original incidental music, which was scored for only 26 musicians, including a saxophone. While we do not know exactly how the incidental music fit into the plot, it conjures up the folk dances of the lovely setting in Provence, coupled with the play's atmosphere of doom.
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The text is reprinted from The Ashville Symphony where more information about the composition can be found. 

Notable Performances/Recordings:
Montreal Symphony Orchestra (1988)
London Symphony Orchestra (1981)
Philharmonia Orchestra (1958)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1957)

© 2025. Maxwell Liber. All rights reserved.
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