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DEBUSSY, Claude
DEBUSSY, Claude

Pelléas et Malisande (complete)

Lyric Drama in three Acts
B-Note says:“Debussy's only completed opera sets Maeterlinck's Symbolist drama without arias or set pieces.”
Opus
CD 93
Composed
1902
Duration
ca. 2:40:00 min
First publisher
Fromont/Durand, Paris, 1905
Instrumentation
3.2+1.2.3 / 4.3.3.1 / timp, perc, 2hp, str, SATB soli, SATB chs i
Woodwinds
Flutes3
Oboes2+1
Clarinets2
Bassoons3
Brass
Horns4
Trumpets3
Trombones3
Tuba1
Further timp Timpani · perc Percussion · 2hp 2 × Harp · str Strings · SATB soli · SATB chs
+1 = additional player on an auxiliary instrument (e.g. piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet, contrabassoon)
Orchestra
Symphony orchestra
Your orchestra Available to registered customers only i Your orchestra Save your orchestra’s line-up once – by drag & drop or from a template, from chamber to full symphony orchestra. Fits – no extra players needed Nearly – additionally: 1 harp 5 extra players needed Every work page then shows at a glance whether the work fits your orchestra and which extra players you would need. Several orchestras and project line-ups are possible. The catalogue is aimed at orchestras and ensembles – once logged in, the feature is available under "My orchestra". Log in →
Revised version from 1905 (french). Lyrics by Maurice Materlinck
Opera, Aria, Choir France Melancholic and elegiac

Debussy's only completed opera is considered a masterpiece of musical impressionism and marks a turning point in operatic history. Based on Maurice Maeterlinck's symbolist drama, the composer created an entirely new form of musical theater that broke with the traditions of grand French and German opera. Instead of heroic gestures and dramatic climaxes, Debussy developed a floating, atmospheric musical language that traces the text with the utmost sensitivity.

The music follows the natural speech rhythm of French and largely dispenses with traditional arias or closed forms. Debussy's orchestral palette unfolds extraordinary colorfulness through impressionist harmony, floating chords and sophisticated instrumentation. The harps and muted strings in particular create that ethereal mood which envelops the mysterious events surrounding the lovers.

The work stands as exemplary of French modernism around 1900 and its departure from Wagnerian music drama. Here Debussy created his most personal and perhaps most significant composition, which continues to be admired today as a unique synthesis of music, language and scenic poetry.

„Ich habe versucht, dass die Musik dort beginnt, wo das Wort aufhört zu wirken, wo das Wort machtlos wird; ich wollte, dass sie aus dem Traum hervorgeht.“
— Debussy in einem Interview mit Louis Laloy, 1908
„This is not music in the traditional sense; there are no arias, no leitmotifs in the Wagnerian sense. It is a continuous flow of music that follows the drama.“
— Camille Mauclair, Kritik in Revue d'Art Dramatique, Mai 1902
Date
30. April 1902
Venue
Paris, Opéra-Comique
Conductor
André Messager
Orchestra
Orchester der Opéra-Comique
The premiere was initially controversial and divided audiences. Debussy had worked on the opera for years, composing it based on Maurice Maeterlinck's symbolist drama. The innovative, impressionistic musical language with its seamless transitions and departure from traditional aria structures was revolutionary for French opera. Mary Garden sang Mélisande and Jean Périer sang Pelléas.

The premiere was conducted by the composer André Messager.

Also premiered in 1902

Parker · premiere 1902 Concerto for organ and orchestra

Also premiered by the Orchester der Opéra-Comique

Ravel · premiere 1911 L’heure espagnol

Editions available

Item no. Description Price (incl. 7% VAT)
BO-5809.00Full score
Fromont/Durand, Paris, 1905 		€ 120,00
BO-5809.01Large conductor's score A3
Fromont/Durand, Paris, 1905 		€ 215,00
BO-5809.10Set of parts with strings 5.4.3.2.2
Fromont/Durand, Paris, 1905 		€ 860,00
🎵 Digital options

Digital parts for this edition are not yet available. Please log in to request digitization.

BO-5809.21Extra Str. Vl.1€ 16,80
BO-5809.22Extra Str. Vl.2€ 16,80
BO-5809.23Extra Str. Va.€ 16,80
BO-5809.24Extra Str. Vc.€ 16,80
BO-5809.25Extra Str. Bass€ 16,80

Sample pages

Sample pages Sample pages

Video

More by Claude Debussy

La Mer CD.111 2+1.2+1.2.3+1 / 4.3+2.3.1 / timp, perc, 2 hp, str Clair de Lune (orch. Caplet) CD 82/3 2.2.2.2 / 2.0.0.0 / hrp, str Children’s Corner (orch. Caplet) CD 119 2.2.2.2 / 4.2.0.0 / 4 perc, hp, str Jeux – Poème dansé for orchestra CD 133 2+2.3+1.3+1.3+1 / 4.4.3.1 / timp, perc, cel, 2hp, str Iberia ( No.2 from „Images“) CD 118 3D1+1.2+1.3.3+1 / 4.3.3.1 / timp, perc, 2 hp, cel, str L’Isle joyeuse (orch. Molinari) CD 109 3.3.4.3 / 4.4.3.1 / timp, 3perc, cel, 2 hrp, str
All 18 works by Debussy →

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