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RAVEL: Bolero / Daphnis et Chloe / Piano Concerto / Ma mere l'oye

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RAVEL: Bolero / Daphnis et Chloe / Piano Concerto / Ma mere l'oye

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Maurice Ravel (1875 1937) Ma mere l'oye Tzigane, rapsodie de concert Piano Concerto in G major Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No.2 Boléro Maurice...

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Maurice Ravel (1875 1937)

Ma mere l'oye
Tzigane, rapsodie de concert
Piano Concerto in G major
Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No.2
Boléro

Maurice Ravel, in common with other great composers, uses a musical language that is instantly recognisable, whether in the sparer textures of music that recalls classical and earlier traditions, in his innovative writing for the piano or his colourful use of the modern orchestra. He was born in Ciboure in the Basses Pyrenées in 1875, the son of an engineer of Swiss ancestry and a mother who carne from the Basque country. From his father he acquired an interest in things mechanical and a certain meticulous precision in his music and in his personal habits, while from his mother he inherited an affinity with Spain and a familiarity with the language of that country, an element reflected in some of his compositions.

Ravel entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1889, but was to fail to win there the distinction and the necessary prizes that his abilities deserved. He withdrew in 1895 but returned in 1897 to study composition with Gabriel Fauré, a sympathetic teacher, who had succeeded Massenet at the Conservatoire the year before, after the death of his irnplacable opponent Ambroise Thomas.

By the early years of the present century Ravel had begun to earn a reputation for himself as a composer, in spite of the hostility of certain critics. He was to fail, however, to win the important Prix de Rome, the rejection of his fina1 entry in 1905 causing a public scandal that led to the resignation of the director of the Conservatoire, who was succeeded by Fauré. Instead he continued to gain ground against his opponents in the musical and critical establishment, and in 1909 was commissioned by the Russian impresario Sergey Dyagilev to write the score for the ballet Daphnis et Chloé, staged in 1912.

During the war years Ravel served as a transport driver, his lack of weight excluding him from the more active form of military service he would have preferred. Illness and the death of his mother in 1916 both diminished his activity as a composer, but by 1920 he had completed, at the prompting of Dyagilev, the choreographic poem La Valse and had started work on the operatic collaboration with Colette that resulted in the delightful L'enfant et les sortileges, in which elements of Ravel's various interests combine.

The death of Debussy in 1918, followed six years later by the death of his teacher Fauré, left Ravel as the leading French composer in the eyes of his contemporaries. There were to be various commissions and the establishment of an international reputation that brought him honour abroad and the offer of the Legion d'honneur at home, a distinction he rejected. His career was tragically shortened by the increasingly debilitating effects of what was later diagnosed as Pick's disease. He died in 1937 after an unsuccessful brain operation.

Ma mere l' oye was originally written as a suite of Mother Goose nursery tales for piano duet to entertain the children of Ravel's friend Cipa Godebski. It was orchestrated and extended as a ballet score in 1911, the year after its composition. The suite opens with Sleeping Beauty, followed by Hop-o'-my-thumb, with his trail of breadcrumbs leading through the forest. Laideronette is Empress of tiny oriental insect-musicians. Thereafter Beauty converses with the Beast, and the work ends in a fairy garden.

The famous Tzigane was written in 1924 for the Hungarian violinist Jelly d'Aranyi, whose own improvised additions the composer added to the completed work. Ravel reportedly remarked that he had no idea what she was doing, as she played the piece, but he liked it. The Tzigane remains a show-piece of the violin repertoire, whether in the version for violin and orchestra or in its original form, for violin and piano, designed by the composer to test the musical and technical ability of any performer and later described by one of Ravel's friends as a violinist's minefield. The work captures the spirit of gypsy improvisation, its art successfully concea1ing art.

The G major Concerto, at first conceived as a Basque Rhapsody, was dedicated to Marguerite Long, who was the soloist in the first performance at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on 14th January 1933. Originally conceived as a Divertissement for Ravel's own concert drum, cymbals, side-drum, gong, wood-block and whip. Ravel claimed to have taken the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet as a model for his Adagio, and for the composition of the whole work, which took him some time, made a close study of scores of concertos by Mozart and Saint-Saëns. The jazz element of the first movement, with suggestions of Gershwin, yet fully absorbed into Ravel's own idiom, leads to the beautiful and nostalgic piano solo that starts the second movement. The motor rhythms of the last movement and the lively syncopation complete a concerto of elegance, brilliance and wit.

The symphonie choreographique Daphnis et Chloé is based on the Hellenistic novel by Longus, a Greco-Roman writer about whom nothing is known. His pastoral romance, set on the island of Lesbos, deals with the love, forced parting and final happiness of the shepherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloé, abducted by pirates, but eventually united, again with Daphnis, their union a subject of general rejoicing, under the inspiration of the shepherd god Pan. Ravel drew two orchestral suites from the original score, the second of them in 1912, the year in which Dyagilev's Ballets russes performed the work at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, with designs by Bakst, choreography by Fokin and the two title roles danced by Karsavina and Nijinsky. The scandal surrounding the latter's performance in his ballet using Debussy's pastoral L'apres-midi d'un faune overshadowed Ravel's ballet, which lacked the necessary ingredients of a succès de scandale, while celebrating again a long-vanished world, evoked in vivid and moving orchestral colours, subtly enhanced by the use of an added chorus.

Ravel wrote the orchestral tour de force Boléro in 1928 for the dancer Ida Rubinstein, describing it on one occasion as an orchestrated crescendo and on another as "une blague" and yet again as "vide de musique". It is based on the insistent drum rhythm of an invented Spanish dance and won immediate popularity.

François-Joel Thiollier
Franco-American by birth, the pianist François-Joel Thiollier was born in Paris and gave his first concert in New York in the age of five. His teachers included Robert Casadesus in Paris and Sascha Gorodnitzki at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. His eight Grands Prix in international competitions include triumph in both the Brussels Queen Elisabeth and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competitions. Boasting an exceptionally large repertoire of some seventy concerti, Thiollier enjoys wide international success, appearing with major orchestras and in recital in the most famous concert halls of Europe. At the same time he has made some forty recordings including a release of the complete piano music of Rachmaninov and of Gershwin, and, for Naxos, a world premiere compact disc recording of the complete piano music of Maurice Ravel.

Marat Bisengaliev
Marat Bisengaliev was born in Alma-Ata in Kazakhstan in 1962 and began to learn the violin at the age of six, graduating from the Alma-Ata Conservatory in 1984 with a first prize. He went on to study at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with Boris Belinky and Valery Klimov. Having made his concerto debut at the age of nine in Alma-Ata, Bisengaliev continued to perform as a soloist throughout Eastern Europe and also served as Artistic Director of the Kazakhstan Chamber Orchestra, before settling in 1989 in England. In 1991 Bisengaliev won first prize in the International Nicanor Zabaleta Competition, also receiving the special virtuoso prize for the most outstanding performance of the competition. He earlier was a prize-winner in 1988 at the Leipzig International Bach Competition. He made his concerto debut in England playing the Beethoven concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by a London performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto. He has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras in Russia, England, Germany, Poland and the former Republic of Czechoslovakia. His recordings include concertos issued by Melodiya, Naxos and Marco Polo and he has been three times the subject of a Central Soviet Television documentary, most recently in 1992.

Slovak Philharmonic Choir
The Slovak Philharmonic Choir was formed in 1946 from the mixed choir of Radio Bratislava and has performed, over the years, a wide repertoire of music, ranging from the ear1iest choral works to the work of contemporary composers. The Choir, since 1990 directed by Jan Rozehnal, has performed under some of the most distinguished conductors, from Claudio Abbado and Lorin Maazel to Vaclav Talichand Yuri Temirkanov, and has appeared in concerts and festival performances throughout Europe, in addition to continuing collaboration with the opera-houses of Vienna, Strasbourg, Szeged, Bordeaux and Düsseldorf. Recordings by the Choir include the oratorio The Legend of St. Elizabeth by Liszt for Hungaroton, awarded the Paris Grand Prix du Disque in 1974 and a number of works for Naxos and Marco Polo.

Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
The Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava), the oldest symphonic ensemble in Slovakia, was founded in 1929 at the instance of Milos Ruppeldt and Oskar Nedbal, prominent personalities in the sphere of music. Ondrej Lenárd was appointed its conductor in 1970 and in 1977 its conductor-in-chief. The orchestra has given successful concerts both at home and abroad, in Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Hong Kong and Japan. For Marco Polo the orchestra has recorded works by Glazunov, Glière, Miaskovsky and other late romantic composers and film music of Honegger, Bliss, Ibert and Khachaturian as wen as several volumes of the label's Johann Strauss Edition. Naxos recordings include symphonies and ballets by Tchaikovsky, and symphonies by Berlioz and Saint-Saëns.

The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice (PNRSO)
The Polish National Radio symphony Orchestra of Katowice (PNRSO) was founded in 1935 in Warsaw through the initiative of well-known Polish conductor and composer Grzegorz Fitelberg. Under his direction the ensemble worked till the outbreak of the World War II. soon after the war, in March 1945, the orchestra was resurrected in Katowice by the eminent Polish conductor Witold Rowicki. In 1947 Grzegorz Fitelberg returned to Poland and became artistic director of the PNRSO. He was followed by a series of distinguished Polish conductors - Jan Krenz, Bohdan Wodiezko, Kazimierz Kord, Tadeusz strugala, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Stanislaw Wislocki and, since 1983, Antoni Wit. The orchestra has appeared with conductors and soloists of the greatest distinction and has recorded for Polskie Nagrania and many international record labels.

Kenneth Jean
Associate Conductor of the Chicago symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Florida symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Jean is a young conductor making his presence known both nationally and internationally. Born in New York City, he grew up in Hong Kong and returned to the United States in 1967 to live in San Francisco. After violin studies at San Frandsco state University, he entered the Juilliard school at the age of 19 and was accepted into the conducting class of Jean Morel. The following year he made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Youth symphony Orchestra of New York and was immediately engaged as the orchestra's Music Director. From 1979 until 1985 Kenneth Jean served as Resident Conductor of the Detroit symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was Conducting Assistant of the Cleveland Orchestra for two seasons. He has recorded works by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Falla, Albeniz and Ravel for Naxos, and Chinese contemporary works for Marco Polo.

Antoni Wit
Antoni Wit was born in Cracow in 1944 and studied there, before becoming assistant to Witold Rowicki with the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw in 1967. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and with Penderecki and in 1971 was a prize- winner in the Herbert von Karajan Competition. Study at Tanglewood with Skrowaczewski and Seiji Ozawa was followed by appointment as Principal Conductor first of the Pomeranian Philharmonic and then of the Cracow Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 1983 he took up the position of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice. Antoni Wit has undertaken many engagements abroad with major orchestras, ranging from the Berlin Philharmonic and the BBC Welsh and Scottish Symphony Orchestras to the Kusatsu Festival Orchestra in Japan.

Johannes Wildner
Johannes Wildner was born in the Austrian resort of Mürzzuschlag in 1956 and studied violin and conducting, taking his diploma at the Vienna Musikhochschule and proceeding to a doctorate in musicology. As a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, he has toured widely as leader of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra's Johann Strauss Ensernble and of the Vienna Mozart Academy. As a conductor he has directed the Orchestra Sinfonica dell'Emilia Romagna Arturo Toscanini, the Budapest State Opera Orchestra, the Silesian Philharmonic, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic and others. He has recorded works by Schumann, Wagner and Mozart for Naxos and is one of the main conductors in the Marco Polo Johann Strauss II complete edition.

Disc 1

Ma mere l'oye (Mother Goose) (version for orchestra)

(more info)

Performed by: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Boston Symphony Orchestra Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra
Composed by: Maurice Ravel Sergey Koussevitzky
Conducted by: Kenneth Jean Carlo Maria Giulini Marc Albrecht
Eteri Andjaparidze, piano
Recording date: September 1988

Pavane de la belle au bois dormant - 1:37
Petit poucet - 3:17
Laideronette, imperatrice des pagodes - 3:34
Les entretiens de la belle et da la bete - 4:12
Le jardin feerique - 3:54

Tzigane (version for orchestra)

(more info)

Performed by: Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Maurice Ravel
Conducted by: Kazuhiro Koizumi Johannes Wildner Takuo Yuasa
Moshe Hammer, violin
Howard Zhang, violin
Marat Bisengaliev, violin
Recording date: 24 - 25 May 2001

Tzigane - 9:37

Piano Concerto in G major

(more info)

Performed by: Russian National Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra North German Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Bilkent Symphony Orchestra Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra Lyon National Orchestra Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
Composed by: Francesco Tristano Schlime Maurice Ravel
Conducted by: Michael Francis James DePreist Bertrand de Billy Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos Antoni Wit Gary Bertini Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt Emmanuel Krivine Jean Fournet Marko Munih
Huseyin Sermet, piano
Monique Haas, piano
Ian Parker, piano
Louis Lortie, piano
Pascal Roge,
Mikhail Pletnev, piano
Idil Biret, piano
Carol Rosenberger, piano
Martha Argerich, piano
Francois-Joel Thiollier, piano
Mi Joo Lee, piano

Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2

(more info)

Performed by: Seattle Symphony Orchestra Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra NBC Symphony Orchestra Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Maurice Ravel Arturo Toscanini
Conducted by: Yakov Kreizberg Kenneth Jean Gary Bertini Gerard Schwarz Jansug Kakhidze
Recording date: 26 November 1938

Lever du jour - Pantomime - Danse generale - 16:32

Bolero

(more info)

Performed by: Lamoureux Concert Association Orchestra Detroit Symphony Orchestra Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Hungarian State Orchestra Moscow Symphony Orchestra Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Boston Symphony Orchestra World Philharmonic Orchestra
Composed by: Neville Marriner Maurice Ravel Sergey Koussevitzky
Conducted by: Adam Fischer Yakov Kreizberg Kenneth Jean Charles Gerhardt Adrian Leaper Yutaka Sado Neeme Jarvi Antonio de Almeida
Leon Berendse, flute
Recording date: October 1993

Bolero - 16:13

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Composer(s):
Ravel, Maurice

Conductor(s):
Jean, Kenneth; Wildner, Johannes; Wit, Antoni

Orchestra(s):
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Artist(s):
Bisengaliev, Marat; Thiollier, Francois-Joel

Label: Naxos Classics
UPC: 730099427623
Item Number: 8553276