Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937): Great French composer and master orchestrator.
Although often identified with Debussy as a chief proponent of musical Impressionism, Ravel melded exotic harmonies with classical formal structures to create a personal, refined style that transcends a single label.
CLICK HERE for notes and translations for Ravel's Shéhérazade.
Maurice Ravel: Sonata in G
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) was a great French composer and master orchestrator who maintains a place among the most performed and recorded composers of all time. He is often identified with Debussy as a chief proponent of musical Impressionism, but Ravel melded exotic harmonies with classical formal structures to create a personal, refined style that transcends a single label. In 1897 Ravel composed a violin sonata in A minor, a student work which has been published and recorded posthumously; so his more famous Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major is sometimes referred to as “Sonata No. 2.” Those familiar only with Ravel’s opulent pre-war works may be surprised by its sparse textures, and the composer said that he purposely did not try to hide the difference between the legato sound of the violin and the relatively brittle, percussive sound of the piano. Ravel began writing the G major Sonata in 1923, but due to declining health and "writer's block" he did didn't finish it until four years later. It is his last chamber music composition, and it summarizes the diverse elements that blend into his mature style: impressionistic modal and whole tone inflections, parallel triads and open fifths, bi-tonal passages and a peppering of sharp dissonances, sometimes glittering accompaniment figures, and, especially in the second “Blues” movement, a fascination with American jazz and blues and the music of George Gershwin. Ravel himself was the pianist for the 1927 world premiere in Paris, as well as for the American premiere the following year.
Don Quichotte à Dulcinée
Ravel had hoped to enter his song cycle, Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1932–1933), in a competition for Georg Wilhelm Pabst's film Adventures of Don Quixote, but ill health and a car accident prevented him from completing the songs in time. Written on poems by novelist Paul Morand (1888-1976), the cycle ranges from tender to humorous, and, in addition to reflecting the world of Don Quixote it reflects Ravel’s own Spanish heritage. These songs form Ravel’s last completed composition, and he prepared versions with accompaniment for either orchestra or piano.
--Intermezzo Sunday Concerts, September 16, 2007 (Biernacki/Smart: Love Songs and Cycles)
Pièce en forme de Habanera
Although today's selection is played by flute quartet, it was originally composed in 1907 as Vocalise-Étude en forme d’Habanera, a demanding vocal solo with piano accompaniment. But under the title “Pièce en forme de Habanera" it has been published in a number of versions for varying instrumental combinations.
--Intermezzo Sunday Concerts, March 9, 2008 (Arioso Flute Quartet)
Piano Trio
Ravel composed his magical PianoTrio in 1914 while working as a volunteer truck driver during World War I. At once elegant, exotic, subtle and brilliant, the Trio was first performed in Paris the following year, and it continues to enthrall both performers and listeners.