1911: Ravel: Mother Goose Suite, age 36

Esa-Pekka Salonen/NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

Prélude : 1:05

1. Danse du rouet et scène – Spinning wheel dance and scene: 4:10
2. Pavane de la belle au bois dormant – Sleeping Beauty pavane: 7:43
3. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête – Dialogues of the Beauty and the Beast: 10:26
4. Petit Poucet – Hop-o’-My-Thumb: 15:56
5. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes – Empress of the Pagodas: 21:19
6. Apothéose : le jardin féérique – Fairy Garden: 26:26

The movements below are for a shorter version, which has been removed.

1. It is “Ma mère l’Oye”, and it literally means: “My mother the goose”.
2. Pavane de la belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty pavane)
3. Petit Poucet (Hop-o’-My-Thumb)
4. Laideronnette, impératrice des Pagodes (Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas)
   Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête (Dialogues of the Beauty and the Beast)
5. Le jardin féerique (Fairy Garden)

Instrumentation:

• 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets in B♭ and A, 2 bassoons (2nd doubling contrabassoon)
• 2 horns in F
• timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tamtam, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, glockenspiel
• harp
• strings

There is a long story about this, now it started out as a piano duet written for little kids, then later became both a suite and a ballet. But I think the music stands on its own. Note that there are only two horns, no other brass, but Ravel did not skimp on percussion instruments. In fact, the growth of the percussion section over many years is in itself a very interesting subject.