The spectacular score for Daphnis et Chlo� is Ravel's most ambitiously scaled work. First performed in 1912 and designated a 'symphonie chor�graphique', it runs for about an hour and calls for a large orchestra (including miniature bronze cymbals, castanets and a wind machine) and a wordless chorus as it portrays the adventures of a pair of young pastoral lovers in ancient Greece. When the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, conducted by Aziz Shokakhimov, performed Daphnis et Chlo� in concert in 2024, R�sonances Lyriques admired "a euphoric soundscape", citing the "opalescent timbres... captivating unity and legato in the upper strings; controlled, noble amplitude in the lower strings; impeccable, often seemingly weightless woodwind; brass that was not so much keen-edged as embracing; multicoloured percussion... and harps that were both intense and aristocratic."
