Maurice Ravel

[chalkpie]

A very musical performance and beautiful recording. Again I have my preference cemented to that lost CD - can't even remember the label. The interpretations are slightly different. Most noteworthy are that the "feel" in the first two parts are interchanged. On "my" recording the Prelude is 10-15% slower and serene, similar to the feel of the Forlane in the Marriner/ASIF-recording. Yet again "my" Forlane is light and almost bouncy - just like the Prelude is when played by Marriner/ASIF

However, the Menuet are quite similar as far as I remember. Maybe I would actually prefer Marriner/ASIF as the performances feel more (rightfully) solemn and soulful, albeit a bit oh the slow side. The final Rigaudon is also similar between the two versions.

I do wish I could get my hands and ears over that particular CD once again.

I would be very curious to know which version your talking about. Anyway, glad to know that you really enjoy the piece - right on man. It really means a lot to me, and it seems you feel the same way about it. Just one of life's real gems, without trying to sound corny or cliched.

[progmatist]

I also quite like his Mother Goose Suite, not at all childish in sound, as the name would imply. Rapsodie Espagnole is also worth mentioning. I have to say though that Bolero is a bit overplayed, almost as much as Beethoven's 5th.

PS - for the proggers out there that aren't familiar with Ravel, check out "Pictures at an Exhibition" (written by Mussorgsky on piano). His orchestration of that piece almost renders the original useless imo, and surely gave our good pals ELP inspiration and some food for thought. Did Emerson ever mention Ravel back in the day?

Several composers orchestrated Pictures at an Exhibition. I agree wholeheartedly that Ravel's is a cut above the rest.

[chalkpie]

Funny I just watched a BBC Proms concert with the National Youth Orchestra playing the Piano Concerto for Left Hand on Sunday evening via vpn. I think my favourite piece by Ravel is his almost throwaway piece Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet. He wrote this as an exercise in chamber orchestration and lost the score for years. It is simply exquisite.

On Bolero - what's not to like???? It is an absolute masterpiece of orchestration where the melody is passed around the orchestra as the tension rises and the harmonies become more bizarre - a result of Ravel's studying some techniques of Stravinsky. A pure masterpiece.

I've gone back and listened to the Introduction and Allegro - its pretty amazing and just so beautiful. I've always liked it, but its climbing levels for me this time around. Same with the Piano Trio. Re: Bolero - agreed on that. One of the most brilliant aspects for me is the modulation to E major near the end - it just seemingly comes out of nowhere but it totally transforms the mood and direction of the piece - how and why he came up with that is pure genius. The timing of it couldn't be better.

[bill g]

Debussy and Ravel have remained on my top 5 list

Me too, along with Delius for his unparalleled affinity with nature. Generally rounded out by Mahler and Vaughn-Williams, or Stravinsky.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

My introduction to Ravel was Star Trek! They always used theme from Bolero to introduce the Romulans (or was it Klingons?)! Totally agree with Chalkpie's assessment of Pictures by Mussgorsky. It's not much as a solo piano piece but becomes powerfully majestic under Ravel's orchestration.

[Zeuhlmate]

Miroirs is a breathtaking suite.

[chalkpie]

Miroirs is a breathtaking suite.

Absolutely. It's been in heavy rotation in this latest Ravel binge, which is still going strong. I also really love the two orchestrated pieces from this collection.

[Zappathustra]

So I was intrigued to read here that Ravel has written a piano concert. I thought "Ah, this has to be good". And I proceed to sample the thing in YouTube when I realize I know the entire piece note to note! I have this combined with a Prokovieff piano concerto, and with Martha Argerich on the piano. And I had played the whole CD to death some 20 years ago.

The 2nd movement contains some of the most delicate music ever to be conceived. That's our Maurice. A delicate soul.

[Yehuda Kotton]

Le Tombeau is one of my favorite pieces of music (prelude), both orchestral and piano versions.
Solo piano players tend to play it way too fast and shreddy. My favorite version was by an oriental girl at some school recital years ago on youtube. Slow but beautiful.
This is one of those rare pieces that lends itself to all kind of wacky interpretations without being ruined.

[chalkpie]

^Love that first one!

[chalkpie]

So I was intrigued to read here that Ravel has written a piano concert. I thought "Ah, this has to be good". And I proceed to sample the thing in YouTube when I realize I know the entire piece note to note! I have this combined with a Prokovieff piano concerto, and with Martha Argerich on the piano. And I had played the whole CD to death some 20 years ago.

The 2nd movement contains some of the most delicate music ever to be conceived. That's our Maurice. A delicate soul.

Great! The other Piano concerto "For the Left Hand" is easily as equally as good, don't miss it. But yes, the adagio assai movement of the Concerto in G is one of the single greatest pieces of music Ravel ever wrote. I'm still riding a Ravel binge, and loving every second of it.

[Zappathustra]

Great! The other Piano concerto "For the Left Hand" is easily as equally as good, don't miss it. But yes, the adagio assai movement of the Concerto in G is one of the single greatest pieces of music Ravel ever wrote. I'm still riding a Ravel binge, and loving every second of it.

The "Left Hand" I definitely don't have! I am not that demented.

I will listen.

[chalkpie]

The "Left Hand" I definitely don't have! I am not that demented.

I will listen.

You are in for a real treat - its amazing. The very beginning is SO fucking hip. Try this one:

[Zappathustra]

You are in for a real treat - its amazing. The very beginning is SO fucking hip. Try this one:

Oh yeah, this is great. That's the bassiest bassoon I heard in my life, at the start.

Some great oboe moments too. I always associated Ravel with the oboe, I don't know why, in critical points in his music an oboe pops up.

[chalkpie]

He LOVED the oboe. A signature sound of his often used in his orchestrations. I guess the same way Picasso used blue(s) and red(s) in his works.

PS - glad you dig the piece man! Remember that part is just the left hand! Crikey.

[Zappathustra]

He LOVED the oboe. A signature sound of his often used in his orchestrations. I guess the same way Picasso used blue(s) and red(s) in his works.

PS - glad you dig the piece man! Remember that part is just the left hand! Crikey.

Oh I've listened already 3 times and I am loving it. You can hear some typical Ravel bits in it, but the setting is way different, more modern I would say. Thank you very much Frank.

With Ravel I never have to try. He hits centre straightaway.

[chalkpie]

Oh I've listened already 3 times and I am loving it. You can hear some typical Ravel bits in it, but the setting is way different, more modern I would say. Thank you very much Frank.

With Ravel I never have to try. He hits centre straightaway.

That's so great man

You are correct - Ravel's DNA shows up in everything he does, even as diverse as his works get in such different mediums and styles. And such a true point about his music being effortless, not really having to try hard....in my view, that is an immense gift. I guess some could view that as a negative aspect (i.e. boring music, don't even have to try), but that is so far from the truth here. His music is complex, beautiful, inspiring, very French, etc etc. An old music colleague of mine who also loved his music used to say that Ravel's musical jewel chest isn't full to the top, but it only contains diamonds (or something to that effect)! I think its a great quote and very true.

[Zappathustra]

That's so great man

You are correct - Ravel's DNA shows up in everything he does, even as diverse as his works get in such different mediums and styles. And such a true point about his music being effortless, not really having to try hard....in my view, that is an immense gift. I guess some could view that as a negative aspect (i.e. boring music, don't even have to try), but that is so far from the truth here. His music is complex, beautiful, inspiring, very French, etc etc. An old music colleague of mine who also loved his music used to say that Ravel's musical jewel chest isn't full to the top, but it only contains diamonds (or something to that effect)! I think its a great quote and very true.

I've been listening to this quite a lot frequently, and I am loving it enormously. I sent the link to my good friend, who is a real composer and was not familiar with it. He said it's so good that he was scared to listen to it in its entirety - fearing some sort of interfering with his own work.
Anyway, one more time thank you - it's not a very well known work for some mysterious reason.

[chalkpie]

Back into Ravel! Love this music.

[rcarlberg]

Reid, have you ever heard this disc? My Desert island Le Tombeau (orchestrated) and Ma Mer L'oye (suite). Unfortunately its not the full ballet of Ma Mere, but what is there is not to be beat from all of the recordings that I've heard and own (which is a shitload). The big crescendo in iii. Menuet (on Le Tombeau) is total goosebumps, the best on record. It seems like its difficult to find these days, even Amazon doesn't have any used copies anymore and its definitely OOP. I got it from BMG way back in the day and glad I did.

iTunes has it.

Incidentally, for a completely different take on Ravel you could do worse than Kit Watkins' "UnRAVELed":
https://kitwatkins.bandcamp.com/album/unraveled

[chalkpie]

^ Cool thx for this. I heard a bit of Mother Goose in the second piece, I'll check it out in more depth later on. I knew Kit was a great cat.

[chalkpie]

Posted this in the classical thread too, figured it was appropriate for both. The guy is such a great player, and the piece it self is amazing - hard to believe it WASN'T written for guitar!