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John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC

Georges Bizet – L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1: Prelude





Georges Bizet composed L'Arlésienne as incidental music to Alphonse Daudet's play of the same name, usually translated as The Girl from Arles. It was first performed on 1 October 1872 at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris.
Bizet himself played the harmonium backstage at the premiere performance.
Bizet's suite contains several folk-like themes for the music but also incorporated three existing tunes from a folk-music collection.
The play itself was not successful, closing after only 21 performances. It had been staged as a last-minute replacement for another play, which had been banned by the censors, and the audience was less than favorably disposed to the new play. The incidental music has survived and flourished, however. It is most often heard in the form of two suites for orchestra but has also been recorded complete.