The Watteau painting L'embarquement pour Cythère depicts several amorous couples being beckoned toward the water by Cupid; boatmen wait there to take the couples to Cythère, the isle of Love. The painting's licentious attitude is somewhat muted by the predominance of earth tones; Francis Poulenc's musical depiction of L'embarquement pour Cythère (1951), however, is far brighter in hue. A vivacious waltz for two pianos, Poulenc's L'embarquement creates an air of excitement by means of several unexpected harmonic shifts. Melodically, the work is scintillating, although there is a sense that those about to make the journey are far more innocent than the roués and their voluptuous paramours depicted in the original painting. The original source for this music was Poulenc's score to the film Le Voyage en Amerique.

© All Music Guide