Top 5 Favorite Ravel Works

[North Star]

1. Miroirs
2. Miroirs
3. Miroirs
4. Miroirs
5. Miroirs

Oh, and did I mention Miroirs?

You could always list the pieces in it individually. 

[Gaspard de la nuit]

Gaspard de la nuit
Sonata for Violin and Cello
Either Piano Concerto
Piano Trio
Daphnis et Chloé

[SymphonicAddict]

In the first place, the Piano concerto for the left hand: Awesome, so original
Daphnis et Chloé
Introduction and Allegro
Pavane
Le tombeau de Couperin

[Mirror Image]

I've got to update my favorites list:

Violin Sonata
L'enfant et les sortilèges
Piano Concerto in G
Piano Concerto for the left-hand
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé

I'm still highly satisfied with these picks. I've finally arrived at that point where I've added/subtracted enough times to where there's nothing left to change.

[Mirror Image]

Daphnis et Chloé
Miroirs
Gaspard de la nuit
Piano Concerto
String Quartet (despite it's over popularity, I still like this one)
Introduction et allegro
La Valse
Spanish Rhapsody

(That's of the top of my head, forget Bolero     )

Out of curiosity, why do you always pick more than the number you're allotted? The whole purpose of these kinds of threads is to narrow down our favorites and find out what works have meant the most to us, but you have done quite the reverse.

[NikF]

Right now -
Piano Trio (I still think this sounds so fresh, modern, timeless)
Piano Concerto in G
Gaspard
Sonata for Violin and Cello
Daphnis et Chloé 

[Madiel]

Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Miroirs
Gaspard de la Nuit


I'm not 100% certain what would occupy the other places. Some of the chamber works, I don't feel I'm familiar enough with yet to know how I'd rank them (and I don't know the Introduction and Allegro at all, which many people rank very highly indeed).

But hey, one of my favourite concertos and 2 of the greatest piano suites ever written isn't a bad start. And it's not as if there aren't plenty of fine works close on the heels of these ones.

I had always meant to flesh this out, and I've failed dismally. I had a period of listening to absolutely everything Ravel (which takes a lot less time than it would with many other composers), but that was August. Since November I've been completely drowning myself in all the new music I bought from Presto and I wouldn't be confident in my memory of some of the things I heard for the first time in August.

I might just have to force myself into another round of listening...

I do remember being quite taken with two chamber works I wasn't familiar with: the Introduction and Allegro, and the sonata for violin and cello. But whether they would outrank some other works, well... I might be forced to take extensive listening trials to figure that out.

[Mirror Image]

Sorry if I've offended you, I'm not good at lists 

You most certainly did not offend me, my friend. Far from it. No worries, man.

[kyjo]

Daphnis et Chloé
Piano Concerto in G
Piano Concerto for the left hand
La valse
Piano Trio

[Christo]

Not a bad start to begin with.  My bet:

Menuet antique (1895, orch. 1929)
Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet, and string quartet (1905)
Daphnis et Chloé (1912)
Le tombeau de Couperin (1917, orch. 1919)
Piano Concerto in G (1929–31)

Time for a small revision: no longer Daphnis (on renewned listening I found out that's not what I always thought it was, mostly due to the Suites - now I prefer Gabriel Pierné's ballet Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied and for Ravel I'm now thinking of the 1910 ballet Ma Mère l'Oye .

[San Antone]

Ma mère l'oye (either for solo piano or orchestrated)
Trois poemes de Stephane Mallarme
Piano trio in A Minor
Piano Concerto in G
Sonata for Violin and Cello

I am glad to see that I included Trois poemes de Stephane Mallarme in my list.  I listened to it last night and realized how much I liked it.  The rest of the list also holds up.

[North Star]

I am glad to see that I included Trois poemes de Stephane Mallarme in my list.  I listened to it last night and realized how much I liked it.  The rest of the list also holds up.

Thanks for reminding me about leaving it off my list. (I'd like to also include Chansons madécasses, Histoires naturelles, Chants populaires and Deux Mélodies hébraïques. . . And Ma mère l'oye, Miroirs, Gaspard. . .)

L'Enfant et les Sortilèges
Le Tombeau de Couperin Trois Poèmes de Stèphane Mallarmé
Piano Concerto in G
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Piano Trio

[Mirror Image]

Daphnis et Chloé
Both piano concerti
La valse
Piano Trio

Only four?

[kyjo]

Only four?

Nope, five. I included both piano concerti which I assume would count as two separate works. Believe me, I would've loved to have included 10!

[Mirror Image]

Nope, five. I included both piano concerti which I assume would count as two separate works. Believe me, I would've loved to have included 10!

Aye, sorry, I misread your list.

[Christo]

Nope, five. I included both piano concerti which I assume would count as two separate works. Believe me, I would've loved to have included 10!

Why not post your other five as well? Most of us violate the rules far worse. 

[amw]

fave performances in brackets

Gaspard de la nuit (Arrau, Lonquich)
Tombeau de Couperin (Janssen, Collard)
Miroirs (Schuch)
Sonatine (Argerich)
Trio (Richter/Kagan/Gutman)

[kyjo]

Why not post your other five as well? Most of us violate the rules far worse. 

Well, since you asked...

String Quartet
Introduction and Allegro
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Miroirs (especially the orchestral version of Alborada del gracioso)
Le Tombeau de Couperin

[Turner]

I can't choose, so many good works, but I know for sure that Daphnis & Chloe and the Concerto in G would be there.

Btw, the Don Quixote Songs should have been 3 times longer, or more, at least in one version - they are such exquisite little works ...

[Mirror Image]

Okay, mine has changed yet again:

Miroirs
Gaspard de la nuit
Ma mère l'Oye (version for piano duo)
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
L'enfant et les sortilèges