During Maurice Ravel's student years at the Paris Conservatoire, the young composer was under the spell of Russian music by The Five.

He intended writing an opera based on the Arabian folk tales "One Thousand and One Nights", as he admired music of Rimsky-Korsavov "Scheherazade". In 1898 he completed an ouverture de féerie "Shéhérazade", but the opera was never finished. After meeting poet Tristan Klingsor in 1903 and being fascinated by the oriental appeal of his Arabian-inspired prose poems, Ravel wrote the song cycle "Shéhérazade", which was highly influenced by Debussy's orchestral colourism and first performed in its orchestral version on May 17, 1904 at the Salle du Nouveau- Théâtre, Paris.

Listen to the incredibly beautiful new recording of Ravel's La Flûte Enchantée, performed by the Russian musicians with such a deep understanding and expressiveness of music.

Sofia de Salis - flute
Daria Davidova - soprano
Elina Kachalova - piano

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THE ENCHANTED FLUTE

The shade is soft and my master sleeps,

A cone-shaped silken cap on his head,

And his long yellow nose in his white beard.

But I am still awake,

Listening to the song

Of a flute outside that pours forth

Sadness and joy in turn,

A tune now languorous now lively,

Which my dear lover plays.

And when I draw near the casement,

Each note seems to fly

From the flute to my cheek

Like a mysterious kiss.

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder, published by Faber, provided courtesy of Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk)

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The recording is also available at:

Spotify and Apple music 

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Sofia de Salis

www.sofiadesalis.com  | Instagram  | Facebook

The Russian-Swiss flutist Sophia de Salis has received international recognition and has established herself as a soloist with exceptional musicality and rare sound quality. She is a sought-after guest artist at international festivals such as December Nights (Moscow), Festival de la Côte and Stars on the Rhine (Basel). Sofia recorded two albums, which received excellent reviews from listeners and critics. And her master classes and live broadcasts on social networks have incredible popularity and a huge number of subscribers.