Background
The composition was inspired by the
poem L'après-midi d'un faune by
Stéphane Mallarmé. Debussy's work later provided the basis for the ballet
Afternoon of a Faun, choreographed by
Vaslav Nijinsky. It is one of Debussy's most famous works and is considered a turning point in the history of music;
Pierre Boulez has said he considers the score to be the beginning of
modern music, observing that "the flute of the faun brought new breath to the art of music."
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