Composer

:

Louis Vierne

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Average_duration

:

3:40

Louis Vierne's 'Spleens et Détresses, Op. 38: No. 1, Dans l'interminable ennui de la plaine' is a song cycle composed in 1916. The premiere of the work took place on May 16, 1917, at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, with the composer himself at the piano and the baritone Maurice Renaud as the soloist. The song cycle consists of six movements, each of which sets a poem by the French poet Paul Verlaine. 'Dans l'interminable ennui de la plaine' is the first movement of the cycle and is characterized by its melancholic and introspective mood. The poem describes the speaker's sense of ennui and despair as he wanders through a desolate plain, longing for something to break the monotony of his existence. Vierne's setting of the poem is marked by its spare and hauntingly beautiful melody, which is accompanied by a simple and repetitive piano accompaniment. The vocal line is characterized by its long, sustained phrases and its use of chromaticism and dissonance to convey the sense of unease and despair expressed in the poem. Overall, 'Spleens et Détresses, Op. 38: No. 1, Dans l'interminable ennui de la plaine' is a powerful and evocative work that captures the essence of Verlaine's poetry and showcases Vierne's skill as a composer of art songs. Its haunting melody and introspective mood make it a favorite among singers and audiences alike.

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