Daphnis et Chloé “is certainly not only one of Ravel’s best works, but also one of French music’s most beautiful creations,” thus, Stravinsky’s view of this ballet in his memoirs, published in 1935. Today the work is a monument to the art of Impressionist orchestration, incorporating the narration within the sound material. Each instrument is treated in the most effective way possible. Remarkable are the strings’ extreme divisi, their harmonics’ glissandi, and other enigmatic effects, such as utilizing a wordless chorus. Individual performances without choir likely go back to a “makeshift arrangement” that Ravel produced “to facilitate performance at less prominent venues.” But it is precisely the use of the choir that contributes to the magic of Ravel’s music language.

Retained for the new edition has been the original piano reduction by Ravel. The numerous changes in notes, harmony, and dynamics discovered in comparing the piano and orchestral versions are remarkable; the most important differences from the orchestral version are noted in the critical report of the conductor’s score PB 5650.

The Ravel specialist Jean-Francois Monnard has also edited this ballet with detailed attention to the customary Urtext standard. The preface includes numerous references to both genesis and performance history as well as interpretation, correcting also many previously handed-down errors. The large format of the piano reduction as well as the clarity and transparency of the modern notation aids in rehearsing the choir and ballet.