Your Top Three Favorite Ravel Solo Piano Works

[Mirror Image]

Ravel says....have fun!

[Mirror Image]

Looks like most folks picked the same pieces I did: Miroirs, Gaspard de la nuit, and Le tombeau de Couperin.

[Sergeant Rock]

Grieg Variations, Sonatine, Pavane

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

Grieg Variations, Sonatine, Pavane

Sarge

Interesting choices, Sarge. I could have chosen Sonatine myself. Love that work.

[Sergeant Rock]

Interesting choices, Sarge.

The absence of Gaspard probably seems strange, but I actually don't care for it. And Tombeau, I prefer the orchestral version.

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

The absence of Gaspard probably seems strange, but I actually don't care for it. And Tombeau, I prefer the orchestral version.

Sarge

I don't really consider you a 'Ravel guy' anyway, so it's alright by me.

[Mahlerian]

Looks like most folks picked the same pieces I did: Miroirs, Gaspard de la nuit, and Le tombeau de Couperin.

Yep, I'm with you there.  You found a poll where we could agree at last.

[Mirror Image]

Yep, I'm with you there.  You found a poll where we could agree at last.

Oh, I agree with you about a lot of things, Mahlerian. I just like to have some fun with you sometimes (i. e. atonal).

[ritter]

My two cents worth:

- Le tombeau de Couperin (one of my favourite compositions ever)
- Vases nobles et sentimentales
- Prélude (which I actually played rather well myself during my brief, unpromising and unsuccessful days as an amateur pianist  , and still regard as a little gem).

BTW, John, glad to learn you're enjoying the Perlemuter set of Ravel's piano music on Nimbus! 

[Brian]

I don't know if anyone has ever recorded some of the early works you list here, like the Grieg variations. Sarge, where did you find that??

[Mirror Image]

My two cents worth:

- Le tombeau de Couperin (one of my favourite compositions ever)
- Vases nobles et sentimentales
- Prélude (which I actually played rather well myself during my brief, unpromising and unsuccessful days as an amateur pianist  , and still regard as a little gem).

BTW, John, glad to learn you're enjoying the Perlemuter set of Ravel's piano music on Nimbus! 

Thanks, Rafael! I am indeed enjoying the Perlemuter. Such a painterly way he has with Ravel. Love your choices, too. Great stuff.

[Mirror Image]

I don't know if anyone has ever recorded some of the early works you list here, like the Grieg variations. Sarge, where did you find that??

An excellent question and strange choice from the Sarge.

[Sergeant Rock]

I don't know if anyone has ever recorded some of the early works you list here, like the Grieg variations. Sarge, where did you find that??

Sorry, I blew it. I thought another set of variations on the Grieg theme I found years ago on YouTube was the Variations by Ravel. I just discovered my mistake (proving one should not always trust google but should always read the fine print). So it turns out I've never actually heard the Ravel. No matter, I'm sure it's still a great piece and superior to Gaspard   My vote stands 

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

Sorry, I blew it. I thought another set of variations on the Grieg theme I found years ago on YouTube was the Variations by Ravel. I just discovered my mistake (proving one should not always trust google but should always read the fine print). So it turns out I've never actually heard the Ravel. No matter, I'm sure it's still a great piece and superior to Gaspard   My vote stands 

Sarge

I can't even find this Ravel work on YouTube. I don't think a recording of it exists. If it did, however, I'm pretty sure it would be one of his weakest piano pieces as La parade already represents for me.

[vandermolen]

Gaspard gets my vote. Coincidentally just been listening to the wonderful Piano Trio. I hadn't realised before the influence of this on Shostakovich's Piano Trio and Quintet.

[Mirror Image]

Gaspard gets my vote. Coincidentally just been listening to the wonderful Piano Trio. I hadn't realised before the influence of this on Shostakovich's Piano Trio and Quintet.

What other piano works of Ravel's get your vote, Jeffrey?

[The Six]

As the only voted for Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn, I have to say it's kind of a hidden masterpiece. Compared to the other pieces that are part of that Haydn tribute, Ravel manages to make the name melody feel so warm and intimate.

Gaspard is the most popular but I never liked the second and thirds movements that much. And as far as massive water pieces go, I prefer' Une Barque sur l'Ocean to Ondine, so Miroirs gets my second vote.

And the Sonatine gets my last spot just for the Menuet.

[Mirror Image]

As the only voted for Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn, I have to say it's kind of a hidden masterpiece. Compared to the other pieces that are part of that Haydn tribute, Ravel manages to make the name melody feel so warm and intimate.

Gaspard is the most popular but I never liked the second and thirds movements that much. And as far as massive water pieces go, I prefer' Une Barque sur l'Ocean to Ondine, so Miroirs gets my second vote.

And the Sonatine gets my last spot just for the Menuet.

There's no question that Miroirs is a masterpiece. Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn is a wonderful miniature. I'm not sure whether it's 'hidden' or not as most complete piano sets have this work in them. But if you mean that it's a work that doesn't get much recognition, then you're certainly correct. In fact, you're the first person I've ever seen on GMG talk about about this piece. Rafael (ritter) mentioned Prelude and it's a great miniature as well (it's one of the last works for solo piano Ravel wrote).

[Mirror Image]

I'm thinking I should do one on Debussy now (if one doesn't already exist).

[ritter]

As the only voted for Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn, I have to say it's kind of a hidden masterpiece. Compared to the other pieces that are part of that Haydn tribute, Ravel manages to make the name melody feel so warm and intimate....

Fully agreed on this. A real gem, this Menuet sur le nom de Haydn. It is for sure the high point of that collaborative tribute to Haydn, even if Debussy's and Dukas's contributions are notable as well. On a lower level, Reynaldo Hahn's piece (the only one that attempts a pasticcio of the haydnian style) has a quaint charm to it.

N.B.: In my vote, I was hesitating between the Haydn minuet and the A minor prelude, but the latter got the upper hand purely for personal, nostalgic reasons.