Pelléas et Mélisande (Sibelius)

Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas och Mélisande), JS 147 is incidental music by Jean Sibelius for Maurice Maeterlinck's 1892 play Pelléas and Mélisande. Sibelius composed in 1905 ten parts,^[1] overtures to the five acts and five other movements. It was first performed at the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki on 17 March 1905 to a translation by Bertel Gripenberg, conducted by the composer.^[2]

Pelléas et Mélisande
Incidental music by Jean Sibelius
The composer in 1904, by Albert Edelfelt
Catalogue	JS 147 (threatre score)
Opus	46 (concert suite)
Composed	1905 (1905)
Performed	17 March 1905 (1905-03-17)
Movements	10
Scoring	orchestra

A 17 March 1905 advertisement in Hufvudstadsbladet promoting Sibelius's incidental music to Pelléas och Mélisande

Sibelius later slightly rearranged the music into a nine movement suite, published as Op. 46, which became one of his most popular concert works.^[2]

Movements of the suite

The movements were derived from the following numbers:

1. At the Castle Gate (Prelude from Act I, scene 1)

   The opening movement of the suite for orchestra is called "At the Castle Gate". The strings introduce an atmospheric, brief theme, which is then restated with help from the woodwind. This introduction is closed by austere chords. This section is familiar to British television viewers as the theme of the world's longest-running TV programme (1957–present), the BBC's The Sky at Night, first presented by Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012) and presently by Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

   

2. Mélisande (Prelude from Act I, scene 2)

   The character Mélisande is introduced with characteristically strong material presented by a cor anglais solo. This is succeeded by a brief intermezzo, "At the Seashore," which Sibelius regarded as dispensable in concert performances.

   

3. At the Seashore (Melodrama from Act I, scene 4)

   

4. A Spring in the Park (Prelude from Act II, scene 1)

   The strings present the dense sonorities of the melodic material of "A Spring in the Park".

   

5. The Three Blind Sisters (Mélisande's Song from Act III, scene 2)

   In "Three Blind Sisters" another cor anglais solo is answered by monolithic orchestral harmonies.

   

6. Pastorale (Melodrama from Act III, scene 4)

   The sixth movement, "Pastorale," is scored for woodwind and string instruments and exhibits the subtlety of chamber music.

   

7. Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel (Prelude from Act III, scene 1)

   The seventh, "Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel," presents the largest and most dramatic image heard so far. This immense movement could serve as a symphonic finale in its own right but the pace of the drama demands an epilogue.

   

8. Entr'acte (Prelude from Act IV, scene 1)

   

9. The Death of Mélisande (Prelude from Act V, scene 2).^[3]

   With the moving "The Death of Mélisande," the tragic story of the doomed love affair reaches its conclusion.

   

Excluded from the suite is Prelude to Act IV, scene 2, as well as the vocal version of No. 5, Mélisande's Song.^[3] Sibelius later made a transcription of the suite for solo piano, excluding the 'At the Seashore' movement.^{[citation needed]}

Orchestration

The work is scored for flute (with piccolo), oboe (with English horn), two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, timpani/triangle/bass drum, and strings.