First Sunday Music - Ravel

[HoosierHawk]

Maurice Ravel

Born on March 7, 1875, in Ciboure, Basses-Pyrénées, Ravel studied at the Paris Conservatoire from 1899 to 1905, where his most influential teacher was the French composer Gabriel Fauré. Because of the tonal color, harmonies, mood, and extramusical associations of much of his music, Ravel is often associated with the French impressionistic composer Claude Debussy. Unlike Debussy, however, he was strongly attracted to abstract, logical musical structures. His vivid, transparent orchestral colors rank him as one of the modern masters of orchestration.

Ravel's impressionistic leanings are foremost in the piano suites Miroirs and Gaspard de la nuit, and in the Rhapsodie espagnole for orchestra written in 1908. He was gifted at evoking past eras in works such as the "Pavane pour une infante défunte", "Valses nobles et sentimentales", and "Le Tombeau de Couperin", all written for piano and later orchestrated. His classicism is also evident in the important String Quartet, the Sonatina for piano, and later chamber works such as the Sonata for Violin and Cello.

Ravel's stage works include the operas L'heure espagnole and L'enfant et les sortilèges, the celebrated orchestral Boléro, originally for solo dancer; and the impressionistic ballet Daphnis et Chloé, commissioned by the Russian impresario Sergey Diaghilev, who also staged arrangements of earlier Ravel pieces such as the suite Ma Mere l'Oye (Mother Goose). Ravel's last major work was the Piano Concerto in D, for the left hand, written in 1931 for the Viennese pianist Paul Wittgenstein (1887-1961), who had lost his right arm in World War I. Stricken with a neurological disorder in 1932, Ravel died in Paris on December 28, 1937. Interestingly, the royalties from the movie, Bolero, help make his estate, (at nearly two million pounds), one of the wealthiest ever left by a composer.

Ravel - Part I
Bolero
Miroirs
Alborada del Gracioso
Une barque sur l'ocean
Rapsodie espagnole

Ravel - Part II
La Valse
Pavane pour una infante defunte
Menuet antique
Daphnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2)
Lever du jour
Pantomime
Danse generale

[Borges]

Daphnis and Chloe in its complete form is astounding.

[seenenuf]

Thanks for this month's selection. Back in the old, old
days it was Playboy magazine who named Bolero as the best
for making whoopee. Just a tidbit to balance out a
previous snooty remark.

[MrsPatriot]

Thank you for the information. The choreographer’s comments are priceless!

Maybe I will have to give Ravel another go, and find something of his that I do like.

This is what I love so much about this thread; so much knowledge that I would be missing.

[Borges]

Much of late Mahler could easily pass for Schoenberg.

[HoosierHawk]

This is what I love so much about this thread; so much knowledge that I would be missing.

You made my day.

Here's La Tombeau de Couperin.

Due to time constraints, it just didn't make the cut today.

[HoosierHawk]

Daphnis and Chloe in its complete form is astounding.

My mistake. I thought I had both suites.

[Cincinna]

Thanks for the PING. I love Ravel!

[Cincinna]

Thanks got the PING. I love Ravel!

[HoosierHawk]

I'm glad you enjoy the music.

And thanks, Meg.

[grey_whiskers]

Please add me to the list.

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

It would be the arrival of a desert caravan, beginning with a few personages, and ending with the entire caravan filling up the stage at the end. Performed that way, it would work.

How about theme music for the Dustin Hofffman movie Ishtar?

Cheers!

[MEG33]

My pleasure..Thank you for the music, HH.

[Sans-Culotte]

Did they use Bolero as the title music for Ishtar? I would not know, as I was one of the many, many, many, many, many people who did not see that film.

Comedian Albert Brooks did a funny parody of Bolero on a comedy album from the late 70's early 80's. It was after Bolero became famous in the movie "10". Supposedly, Albert Brooks had discovered lyrics to the Bolero which made it even sexier than in its original orchestral version. The lyrics were pretty hilarious.

[grey_whiskers]

Sorry, I don't know, I never saw the movie.

Cheers!