Est 1923

Ravel Complete Piano Works Vol 2

An uneven treatment of Ravel leaves the listener blowing hot and cold

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Maurice Ravel

Genre:

Instrumental

Label: Linn

Media Format: Super Audio CD

Media Runtime: 75

Mastering:

Stereo
DDD

Catalogue Number: CKD315

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Prélude Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
Menuet sur le nom de Haydn Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
Sonatine for Piano Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
Menuet antique Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Moderé - très franc Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Assez lent Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Moderé Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Assez animé Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Presque lent Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Vif Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Moins vif Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Épilogue (Lent) Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
A la manière de Borodine Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
A la manière de Chabrier Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
Pavane pour une infante défunte Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Prélude Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Fugue Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Forlane Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Rigaudon Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Menuet Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Toccata Maurice Ravel, Composer
Artur Pizarro, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
In the second and final volume of his Ravel cycle Artur Pizarro has you blowing hot and cold. Never for a moment would you question his affection for his daunting and elusive task, however; and at its best his playing evinces an ease and naturalness that make his overemphasis elsewhere regrettable. He excells in the Sonatine’s virtuoso finale, where, as instructed, he is brilliantly animé, and his Toccata from Le tombeau de Couperin has real pep and articulacy with a thrilling rush of blood to the head in the closing uproar. Again, his Pavane shows a special imaginative delicacy and finesse and the première matin du monde freshness of the Prélude from Le tombeau finds him once more relaxing into the natural grace of the finest Ravelians. But in the Forlane from the same suite, with his mournful view of its piquant allegretto, he can’t resist lapsing into the sort of dalliance that easily morphs into laxness.

His sluggish way with A la manière de Borodine misses too much of its charm and resilience, and you can easily imagine French eyebrows raised over his freedom in the Valse nobles et sentimentales. It is not that Ravel wanted rigidity here, but a finer sense of the underlying pulse would have given the waltzes more of the vitality and astringency that so shocked Rubinstein’s listeners when he gave the first performance of this masterpiece in Spain. In Pizarro’s hands the Epilogue seems interminable. One misses an essential element of insouciance and elegance (qualities inseparable from Ravel’s genius) in the Menuet antique and Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn.

An uneven and well recorded recital, then, without the overall authenticity of pianists such as Thibaudet, Bavouzet, Tharaud and Angela Hewitt.

Ravel Complete Piano Works Vol 2

Prélude

Menuet sur le nom de Haydn

Sonatine for Piano

Menuet antique

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Moderé - très franc

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Assez lent

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Moderé

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Assez animé

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Presque lent

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Vif

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Moins vif

(8) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Movement: Épilogue (Lent)

A la manière de Borodine

A la manière de Chabrier

Pavane pour une infante défunte

(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Prélude

(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Fugue

(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Forlane

(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Rigaudon

(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Menuet

(Le) Tombeau de Couperin, Movement: Toccata

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