Richard Strauss

Divertimento after Piano Pieces by Couperin op. 86/ TrV 245b

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) composed Divertimento after Piano Pieces by Couperin, Op. 86 / TrV 245b between 1940 and 1941 during the final decade of his life, revisiting a lifelong fascination with the music of the French Baroque master François Couperin (1668-1733). Drawing upon Couperin's harpsichord pieces published between 1713 and 1730, Strauss transformed them into an eight-movement suite for chamber orchestra, enriching the originals with his unmistakable orchestral brilliance, contrapuntal ingenuity, and refined harmonic language while preserving their graceful eighteenth-century character. Much of the music originated in Strauss's ballet Verklungene Feste (Bygone Celebrations), itself an expansion of his earlier Dance Suite after Keyboard Pieces by Couperin (1923), before being recast into this independent concert work. Divertimento after Piano Pieces by Couperin received its premiere on January 31, 1943, in Vienna, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Clemens Krauss, one of Strauss's closest musical collaborators. Divertimento after Piano Pieces by Couperin, Op. 86 / TrV 245b is admired as one of Strauss's finest late orchestral works, illustrating his remarkable ability to unite Baroque elegance with twentieth-century orchestral sophistication. Although performed less frequently than his tone poems and operas, it has earned a respected place in the repertoire for chamber orchestra and remains a brilliant example of neoclassical reinterpretation by one of the twentieth century's greatest orchestrators. Movements: 1. La Visionnaire; 2. Musette de Choisy - La fine Madelon - La douce Janneton - La Sézile - Musette de Taverny; 3. Le Tic-Toc-Choc - La Lutine; 4. Les Fauvettes plaintives; 5. Le Trophée - L' Anguille - Les jeunes Seigneurs - La Linotte effarouchée; 6. Les Tours de Passe-passe; 7. Les Ombres errantes; 8. Les Brimborions - La Badine. Instrumentation: 2, 2+1(EH).2.2: 2.1.1.0: Timp.Perc(3-4): Hp.Clst.Org.Hpchrd: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.