Impressions of Paris
Listening Guide
Discover the musical moments, instruments, and themes to listen for during the performance.
Claude Debussy
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune · 1894
Background
Debussy’s response to Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem about a faun drifting between dream and memory on a hot afternoon. Its floating harmonies and shifting colors changed the course of orchestral music.
Imagine a lazy, sun-drenched afternoon. A solo flute sings a winding melody, then harps, horns and soft strings drift in like daydreams. There’s no big tune to wait for. Let the colors wash over you.
What to Listen For
The opening flute
A flute alone, then a harp glissando and quiet horn calls answer it.
The warm middle section
The woodwinds, then the strings, take up a broader, more lyrical melody, the closest the piece comes to passion.
The fading close
Listen for antique cymbals, small tuned cymbals that ring like distant bells, as the music dissolves.
Instruments to notice
- Flute
- Harp
- Horn
- Oboe
- Clarinet
- Antique cymbals
Listening notes are general reference material about each piece, written for this app. Approximate timings and orchestration can vary by performance.
See the full concert program