Two approaches to Ravel’s (exquisite) music
French composers are famous for their exceptional orchestration skills. At the end of the day, French music is highly stylized, so the way it sounds and how it is played is of the highest relevance.
If we are talking about outstanding orchestrators, then we forcibly need to talk about Maurice Ravel, my favorite composer. (Have I said that already?). His gift for using the orchestra as a canvas to craft beauty has made him one of the greatest composers of all time.
You can hear it in the overall refined sound of his well known orchestral masterpieces, and you can also get a more intimate experience if you listen to his marvelous works for chamber ensembles. There is clarity, cleanliness and finesse in his music, which is something I haven’t experienced with any other composer. That being said, is there any other way in which we can experience his proficiency in arranging sounds for an entire orchestra? The album Ravel: Concerto en sol, Le Tombeau de Couperin & Alborada del gracioso, recorded by the Orchestre of Paris and led by Josep Pons, works as a great answer to that question. In it, you can hear both versions for piano and orchestra of pieces like Le tombeau de Couperin and Alborada del gracioso. You can also enjoy an impeccable performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, played by Javier Perianes, but let’s not digress... As I was saying, hearing this record works great as an exercise in perceiving and analyzing Ravel’s powerful skills as an orchestrator. Allow me to suggest a hearing exercise: first listen to the piano version, feel the rawness and become a witness to the directness and intimacy of the pieces played in this instrument. And then enjoy the version for orchestra, notice how certain passages were dedicated to certain instruments, take a close listen to the pairing of certain instruments, pay attention to the ups and downs of loudness (the dynamic range), and try to “see” the music both from above, like an aerial view, and from up close, as if you were getting close to the sound. I apologize if all of this sounds too abstract or technical, but what I am really trying to encourage you is to take a conscious listen so that you can later immerse in the absolute pleasure of this beautiful music. Getting to enjoy these pieces in these two versions will enrich your listening experience. Ravel worked really hard in assigning specific sonorities and roles to each instrument, so listening to his music with a conscious effort will value and treasure his talent.
You can hear it in the overall refined sound of his well known orchestral masterpieces, and you can also get a more intimate experience if you listen to his marvelous works for chamber ensembles. There is clarity, cleanliness and finesse in his music, which is something I haven’t experienced with any other composer. That being said, is there any other way in which we can experience his proficiency in arranging sounds for an entire orchestra? The album Ravel: Concerto en sol, Le Tombeau de Couperin & Alborada del gracioso, recorded by the Orchestre of Paris and led by Josep Pons, works as a great answer to that question. In it, you can hear both versions for piano and orchestra of pieces like Le tombeau de Couperin and Alborada del gracioso. You can also enjoy an impeccable performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, played by Javier Perianes, but let’s not digress... As I was saying, hearing this record works great as an exercise in perceiving and analyzing Ravel’s powerful skills as an orchestrator. Allow me to suggest a hearing exercise: first listen to the piano version, feel the rawness and become a witness to the directness and intimacy of the pieces played in this instrument. And then enjoy the version for orchestra, notice how certain passages were dedicated to certain instruments, take a close listen to the pairing of certain instruments, pay attention to the ups and downs of loudness (the dynamic range), and try to “see” the music both from above, like an aerial view, and from up close, as if you were getting close to the sound. I apologize if all of this sounds too abstract or technical, but what I am really trying to encourage you is to take a conscious listen so that you can later immerse in the absolute pleasure of this beautiful music. Getting to enjoy these pieces in these two versions will enrich your listening experience. Ravel worked really hard in assigning specific sonorities and roles to each instrument, so listening to his music with a conscious effort will value and treasure his talent.
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