Souvenirs de Munich [SEP] instrumentation
Souvenirs de Munich
Souvenirs de Munich is a quadrille on themes from Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde", for piano, four hands by Emmanuel Chabrier.
Background.
Chabrier’s interest in Wagner dated from 1862, when as a study exercise he copied out the score of "Tannhäuser". In early 1880 he requested time off from his ministry job to visit Munich that March with Duparc and other friends to go to a performance of "Tristan und Isolde" as it could only be seen there. The experience
enraged von Bülow. Poulenc described Souvenirs de Munich as "irresistibly funny", where Wagner's principal themes appear with "false beards and fake moustaches".
The exact date of the creation of Souvenirs de Munich is unknown, but it probably dates from 1887. Possibly with Offenbach's satire "Le musicien de l'avenir" in mind, it led to Fauré and Messager's 'Souvenirs de Bayreuth' in similar vein.
Music.
The five movements follow the traditional layout of a musical quadrille
- "Pantalon