A Brief History of L’enfant et les sortilèges

Unlike many operas where the composer often overshadows the librettist, L’enfant et les sortilèges is a true collaboration of equals. Maurice Ravel’s music is moving, witty, and profound, but the libretto is a masterpiece in its own right, written by one of 20th-century France’s most celebrated authors — Colette. She apparently refused all offers of collaboration by many composers, wanting only to work with Ravel.

Originally commissioned as a “fantasy ballet” in 1915 by Jacques Rouche, director of the Paris Opera, the work evolved into a “lyric fantasy in two parts,” blending Colette’s vivid imagination and Ravel’s masterful compositions.

Colette’s libretto draws on her own childhood, marked by rebellion and subservience to a very strong mother, and is a deeply personal exploration of a child’s intimate dramas. The opera follows a mischievous child who, after defying his mother and destroying his toys, encounters the spirits of the objects and animals he has wronged. Through this transformation, he learns empathy and compassion, culminating in a tender call for his mother. The piece reflects the collective trauma and longing of its creators, both of whom lived through World War I — Colette as a nurse for wounded soldiers, and Ravel as a soldier at the front.

Premiering in Monte Carlo in 1925 with choreography by George Balanchine, L’enfant et les sortilèges has since gained recognition as a profound exploration of childhood and human frailty. Its title, difficult to translate, evokes magic, and transformation. Combining Colette’s nostalgic, haunting text with Ravel’s harmonically rich and emotionally layered music, the opera remains a timeless work, bridging personal and universal themes of loss, growth, and healing.