Scholarly record

THE MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS FROM OVIDВ’S METAMORPHOSES IN BENJAMIN BRITTENВ’S PERSPECTIVE

D. Cojocaru, M. Fratila, O. Velescu, I. Velescu

Abstract

Even now, 2,000 years after his disappearance, the Latin poet Ovidius Publius Naso continues to remain one of the most appreciated writers of verses that belong to the ancient Roman period. Considered to be one of the most influential sources of inspiration in European culture, Ovid's work and especially Metamorphoses stimulated the imagination of some of the greatest creators of universal culture in various artistic fields such as poetry, literature, visual arts, or music. In 1951, composer Benjamin Britten made a series of works for oboe solo under the name Six Metamorphoses after Ovid. This cycle of works is more precisely a group of six pieces for oboe solo which, through form and development, describe some of the many fantastic characters found during the fifteen volumes with mythological topics of the Latin poet. The title of the work, whose meaning is transformation, leads the imagination to a whole series of meanings that opens the path of a fantastic world, in which artistic processes and means of expression are released, the elements through which an entire reference universe is shaped. The musical language creates a special atmosphere, and the elements used also contribute to shaping the traits of the various characters, while also providing indications of the transformation process through which they are elaborated.

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