Six Metamorphoses after Ovid (Op. 49) is a piece of programme music for solo oboe written by English composer Benjamin Britten in 1951.
The piece was inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses . It is dedicated to oboist Joy Boughton, daughter of Benjamin Britten's friend and fellow composer Rutland Boughton, who gave the first performance at the Aldeburgh Festival on 14 June 1951. [1]
Each of the six sections is based on a character from Roman mythology who is briefly described: [1]
The piece is between 10 and 15 minutes in length.
The music of the first metamorphosis echoes the "free-spirited" character of its titular figure: it is unmeasured and includes frequent pauses. This contrasts with the second metamorphosis, a quick and rhythmic representation of the chariot ride of Phaeton, marked vivace ritmico. The third is slower and is marked piangendo, or "crying". The four-part fourth metamorphosis reflects the atmosphere of a drunken feast or festival. The fifth, marked lento piacevole, is meant to convey the act of staring at a reflection in a pool. The work concludes with a "pleasant and meandering" representation of beauty and flow. [2]