Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was inspired by a poem by the French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé. In this dreamlike poem, a faun – a nature spirit from classical mythology – inhabits the borderland between reality, memory and fantasy. Debussy himself described the music as a free illustration of the poem, in which the faun’s desires and dreams unfold in the heat of the afternoon.

The famous opening flute solo draws us into this sensuous world. Its floating, elusive melody recurs and changes throughout the work, while the colours of the orchestra are in constant flux. Rather than following a traditional symphonic trajectory, the music unfolds in a succession of waves, intensifications and relaxations, building to a highly charged climax before gradually subsiding into stillness.

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was first performed in 1894 and was to have a profound influence on modern music. Debussy’s treatment of sonority, harmony and musical form opened up new possibilities – here, music seems to be as much about colour, light and movement as it is about melodies and themes.