Witold Lutosławski: Chantefleurs et chantefables

Witold Lutosławski: Chantefleurs et chantefables for Soprano and Piano

Composer: Witold Lutosławski

Original title: Chantefleurs et chantefables

Instrumentation: soprano and piano

Text: Robert Desnos

Arrangement: Eugeniusz Knapik

Publisher: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne (PWM)

Publisher's number: PWM 10997

Publication type: piano reduction – vocal part with piano accompaniment

Description: Chantefleurs et chantefables is a song cycle by Witold Lutosławski based on surreal, imaginative and playful poems by French poet Robert Desnos. The composition was written in 1989–1990 and was originally scored for soprano and orchestra.

The cycle consists of nine songs in which Lutosławski combines distinctive vocal writing with a sophisticated orchestral texture rich in colors and changing sonorities. The music combines a contemporary compositional language with the lightness, humor and poetic fantasy of Desnos's texts. The vocal writing demands considerable rhythmic and intonational precision while allowing the performer expressive freedom and vivid shaping of the poetic narrative.

This edition contains Eugeniusz Knapik's arrangement for soprano and piano. The piano replaces the original orchestral part, making the cycle suitable for chamber performance, vocal recitals, concerts and educational use. Although the orchestral color is necessarily reduced, the arrangement preserves the essential structural and expressive features of the original composition.