L'Enfant et les Sortilèges

Alain Altinoglu & MM Academy

One afternoon in an old country house. A little boy is bored doing his homework. Scolded by his mother for his laziness, the child, in a fit of anger, throws the china cup and teapot across the room, torments the squirrel, pulls the cat’s tail, knocks over the kettle, tears his book and even attacks the old grandfather clock … Once his fit has passed, the animals and objects come to life, threatening the boy with revenge.  

Conceived by Colette for her daughter, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges proved an opportunity for Maurice Ravel to write one of his great masterpieces of orchestration. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the MM Academy, our MM Soloists and MM Laureates will bring this evocative score to life, embodying the many roles like the Fire, the Nightingale, the Oak Tree or the Princess. The story will also take shape before the audience’s eyes thanks to the illustrations created live by the artist Reinhard Kleist, three-time winner of the prestigious Max and Moritz Award. To open this magical concert, Alain Altinoglu will conduct the tales of Ma mère l’Oye as well as a recently discovered piece by Ravel, ‘Prélude et danse’, from his cantata Sémiramis, written by the composer while he was studying at the Conservatoire. An enchanting programme that is bound to appeal to the child in all of us.