Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2

Description

L'Arlésienne (The Woman from Arles), a play produced in 1872, was adapted from an 1868 novel by the author Alphonse Daudet. Georges Bizet (1838-1875) was commissioned to write the incidental music for the play and actually performed the harmonium part in the premiere performance. The play received a poor reception, seeing only 21 runs. But Bizet went on to arrange the first concert suite the same year as the play's production, and the music quickly became, and has remained, popular on orchestral concert programmes.

The second concert suite was arranged seven years later in 1879, four years after Bizet's death. This arrangement was not created by Bizet, but by his friend and fellow contemporary composer Ernest Guiraud. Farandole is the fourth movement from the L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2.

Instrumentation: 2(2nd Picc).2(1st EH).2.2: 4.4.3.1(opt): Timp.Perc(1-2): Str(9.8.7.6.5 in set).