Is it
(http://www.arkivmusic.com/graphics/covers/non-muze/full/vox5012.jpg)
or
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NDZ25ZAYL._AA240_.jpg)
?
That's one tough call.
At the beginning of the year I picked up Abbey Simon's 1970s Vox recordings of Ravel's solo piano music and was simply amazed. I'd tried Simon's Chopin before, and while it's good, it simply didn't prepare me for his Ravel. I was used to a certain, almost straight-laced approach and sound to Ravel, even from the great Walter Gieseking. Simon is pretty much as un-straight-laced as can be. Everywhere and always he manipulates tempi and plays with such subtle dynamic shading that one cannot possibly hear everything in the first twenty hearings. His flexibility and re-creative freedom is simply a marvel. Every work is rendered fresh and new. His Gaspard de la nuit is dashed off with a virtuosic arrogance that hides the virtuosity. He plays brief passages of Scarbo in a blocky fashion, not because he's challenged, but because he's not challenged enough. He tears into the piano version of La Valse with control and panache and a color palette most pianists can't touch. Every other work, from the dazzling, appropriately sparkling Jeux d'eau to the serenely elegiac Pavane pour une infante défunte are mezmerizingly played. Surely, though, the crown jewel in Simon's set is his titanic reading of Miroirs. Never have I heard such fluidity and grace and swelling magnificence in Une barque sur L'océan, or rhythmic flexibility and solidity in Alborado del gracioso. Combine Simon's playing with superb analog sound that allows his amazing color palate through in a way his Chopin recordings do not, and one has a treat of immense proportions. An amazing, miraculous set!
I was sated. Such a great recording of Ravel's piano music should suffice not just for a year, but for many years. But then I picked up Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's recording on MDG. His achievement is on the same level, yet is quite different. The set opens with a Gaspard nearly the equal of Simon's, which is to say it's an extraordinary one. Le Gibet, in particular, is haunting, and Scarbo mischievous and delivered in astonishing fashion. From Miroirs, Oiseaux tristes deserves special mention, opening as it does in a most wondrous subdued manner and unfolding in a most natural and graceful way. The small works all fare extraordinarily well, but Bavouzet delivers perhaps the best versions I've heard of both Valses nobles et sentimales and Le Tombeau de Couperin. The Valses all sound absolutely magnificent: they have a gracefulness and effortless and flow that eludes other versions, which may even sound crude in comparison. Le Tombeau is perhaps more impressive. The three dance movements have the same effortlessness and gracefulness, and they posses a lightness and beauty and deep frivolity that simply amazes. (Yes, deep frivolity.) The more "serious" movements are so meticulously played that one can do nothing other than sit and listen in utter amazement. Mr Bavouzet's technique is superb, his touch varied, colorful, and insightful. (I simply must hear his Debussy!) As to sound, well, I've read that Michelangeli once said something to the effect that no piano is good enough for Gaspard de la nuit. If he had lived to hear this recording, he may very well change his mind. The 1901 Steinway D sounds stunning, and the recording is beyond Audiophile perfect in every way. Another amazing, miraculous set!
Of course my opening question is rhetorical. I love both these sets, but I cannot live without either Walter Gieseking or, especially, Robert Casadesus in this repertoire. And of course there are other superb recordings of individual works, but these two sets are both special. The Bavouzet, in particular, offers something special. Here is proof that great pianism is not only not dead, it's thriving, if only one looks around a bit.
Thanks Todd. The only complete set I own is Gieseking and I enjoy his Ravel much more than his Debussy. I listened to some of Michelangeli's (far from a complete set) recently and was generally disappointed, given that I think he was the greatest interpreter of Debussy's piano music I've ever heard. Michelangeli's approach is so hyper-detailed and transparent, it is too much of a good thing; I think Gieseking had a superb sense of how so subordinate some of that detail to the overall feeling and flow of the works--especially important in the extremely complex ones like Ondine and Scarbo.
I need to get Casadesus soon, but your two recommendations will certainly also end up in my collection before too long.
Todd - thanks for your excellent reviews of these two sets - I own the Louis Lortie set which I've enjoyed, but now I must hear one or both of those you suggest! :)
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z3PYCA3XL._AA240_.jpg)
I have:
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51J0RMF7EQL._AA240_.jpg)
but would like to hear the Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, as it has been mentioned positively on GMG before.
Man, I've been beating a drum for that Bavouzet set for eons, now!
Get it, folks!
And not just for Bavouzet's spectacular playing. The 1901 Steinway D is a honey-sweet instrument and is sheer aural bliss!
My only set so far is from Samson Francois (6-CD Debussy and Ravel set on EMI). How does Abbey Simon and Bavouzet compare to him?
What do you think of this one?
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EKG8HHJ1L._AA240_.jpg)
Quote from: rubio on July 08, 2007, 10:42:54 PMHow does Abbey Simon and Bavouzet compare to [Francois]?
I prefer both pianists to Francois, though I still enjoy Francois.
Haven't heard Tharaud yet.
Quote from: Florestan on July 09, 2007, 01:26:44 AM
What do you think of this one?
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EKG8HHJ1L._AA240_.jpg)
This approaches none of the leaders. Surface playing, headache timbre.
It does have items you will not see elsewhere, so in my view that would be the only reason to purchase.
I bought the Paul Crossley (on CRD?), but can't recommend it too much- he can be too charmless and brittle. Some of his Faure though is extremely good, both the beautiful early nocturnes and the ear-bending late barcarolles etc, letting the music speak for itself without being too self-effacing as in the Ravel.
My vote goes to Vlado Perlemuter. I haven't found any readings I like more. I believe he knew Ravel quite well too.
Quote from: E d o on July 10, 2007, 06:33:50 AMMy vote goes to Vlado Perlemuter. I haven't found any readings I like more.
Which recording? He recorded the set twice.
Quote from: Sean on July 09, 2007, 11:56:09 PM
I bought the Paul Crossley (on CRD?), but can't recommend it too much- he can be too charmless and brittle. Some of his Faure though is extremely good, both the beautiful early nocturnes and the ear-bending late barcarolles etc, letting the music speak for itself without being too self-effacing as in the Ravel.
In recent years I have had a change of heart for some of his recordings. For the Crossley Ravel rebirth, it may be a change of heart for style plus an appreciation of Regis label's cherry-picking for a single CD. Everything seems to click on the single. I could not say that for the two CRD, heard years previous. The Regis is also a remastering, but I cannot say whether this had any significant persuasion. It certainly hasn't hurt.
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/61PR6KQ5ZJL._AA240_.jpg)
Quote from: E d o on July 10, 2007, 06:33:50 AM
My vote goes to Vlado Perlemuter. I haven't found any readings I like more. I believe he knew Ravel quite well too.
Interesting. I stumbled upon his recording of the G minor concerto when I first started collecting LPs back in the early 90s. I loved the warmth and lyricism of his interpretation, especially the second movement. I still have not heard another performance that quite matches his.
Did he record most or all of Ravel's piano works?
Can anyone comment on the differences between these two sets? I need to get at least one if not both!
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AX8FNJ1WL._SS500_.jpg)
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21TQEQCRZKL._AA131_.jpg)
Quote from: rubio on July 08, 2007, 10:42:54 PM
My only set so far is from Samson Francois (6-CD Debussy and Ravel set on EMI).
His détaché is unique and superb.
What about Jacques Fevrier?
Quote from: BorisG on July 10, 2007, 02:00:13 PM
In recent years I have had a change of heart for some of his recordings. For the Crossley Ravel rebirth, it may be a change of heart for style plus an appreciation of Regis label's cherry-picking for a single CD. Everything seems to click on the single. I could not say that for the two CRD, heard years previous. The Regis is also a remastering, but I cannot say whether this had any significant persuasion. It certainly hasn't hurt.
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/61PR6KQ5ZJL._AA240_.jpg)
I also bought Crossley's complete Poulence on three CDs: again much idiomatic playing and sensitivity, it's just that he's not French and doesn't find the light colours and richness of Pacal Roge for instance...
If I had to choose between Perlemuter's Vox or Nimbus discs I'd take the Nimbus. It's a bit more insightful and sensitive reading from a more mature artist. The Concerto in G on the Vox box is great but the Left Hand Concerto is downright strange and dark and I don't mean that in a good way. It almost sounds like the tape speed is off too. I think the problem here is Horenstein and not Perlemuter. Perlemuter also has two recital discs with some Ravel. One at the BBC and the other on Denon, both are well worth owning.
Quote from: Sean on July 10, 2007, 10:56:28 PM
I also bought Crossley's complete Poulence on three CDs: again much idiomatic playing and sensitivity, it's just that he's not French and doesn't find the light colours and richness of Pacal Roge for instance...
Oh, oh. I have no problem with the Roge preference, but I will not buy into a French blood theory, or any other country's blood for classical music.
FYI, Crossley studied extensively in Paris, and in 1968 won the Messiaen Competition in Royan.
Thanks EDO. They're cheap enough, I'll probably get them both.
I saw Casadesus's complete set today in a used store and suddenly realized that I don't have very much of his music, especially the piano.
So, who do you like in the piano works? Casadesus? Gieseking?
Please tell me why you like who you like.
I would like to start with a set, unless that would be unwise for some reason.
Well, I couldn't wait. I got Casadesus's set as a download for $7.
I am listening to it now and I must say I think he does well here.
The agitated moments are wonderfully played without going over the top and the softer moments are sweet, tender.
Bavouzet, without a shadow of a doubt! (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2029.msg52030.html#msg52030)
(http://www.jpc.de/image/cover/front/0/9242210.jpg)
You can also check out Vlado Perlemuter, friend of Ravel and interpreter of all his piano works that he subsequently recorded. Almost a centenarian, (1904-2002) he played publicly until the age of 89. He played among other works, a beautiful Barcarolle by Chopin, captured on film when he was around 90 or so.
You can also look up Martha Argerich's playing Gaspard de la Nuit. This happens to be on the same CD as Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (Deutsche Grammophon).
ZB
Quote from: donwyn on August 04, 2007, 08:50:08 PM
(http://www.jpc.de/image/cover/front/0/9242210.jpg)
Review:
https://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=7438 (https://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=7438)
Review of the Abbey Simon set:
https://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=6446 (https://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=6446)
I obviously enjoy both the Simon and Bavouzet immensely (the Simon just a bit more), but Robert Casadesus still sets the standard for me. He's refined and precise and elegant and just seems to have the music in his blood.
I have Michael Endres' set on order right now, and have high hopes. His Schumann, and, especially, Schubert and Mozart are superb. He's more expressive in quieter moments, and that should work well with at least some of Ravel's music.
Quote from: Todd on August 05, 2007, 08:05:45 AM
I obviously enjoy both the Simon and Bavouzet immensely (the Simon just a bit more),
Good news! The Simon is only a fraction of the cost. :D
Quote
but Robert Casadesus still sets the standard for me. He's refined and precise and elegant and just seems to have the music in his blood.
Yes, I have only heard CD 1, but I am very impressed with what I have heard.
Quote
I have Michael Endres' set on order right now, and have high hopes. His Schumann, and, especially, Schubert and Mozart are superb. He's more expressive in quieter moments, and that should work well with at least some of Ravel's music.
Someone on rmcr raves about this pianist, but I have never heard him. :)
(http://www.jpc.de/image/cover/front/0/9242210.jpg)
Another Review of the above set. (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Dec03/Ravel_piano_Bavouzet.htm)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DTNJVN8RL._SS500_.jpg)
P.S. someone should start a Ravel thread on the Composer Discussion board!
It's bound to be pretty solid. Rogé has carved out a niche for himself in French repertoire (though I haven't heard this disc). His Poulenc is divine, though for me his Debussy, while good, isn't one of the front-runners.
For a knockout Ravel collection the one I most favor is Bavouzet. His choice of piano is a 1901 Steinway D, which has a honey-sweet, burnished sound. The sonority is more on the intimate side, without the hall-engulfing power of a present-day Steinway. But that's the pleasure of it.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NDZ25ZAYL._SS500_.jpg)
You can't do without the Vlado Perlemuter set. I have the Vox LPs, and they have been re-issued (two different performances?) on CD a number of times. I'm not sure which one to buy, but I would guess someone here would. Gieseking is very good in this repertiore as well.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GUyGlhu3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
I have this set, and Thibaudet's technique and sense of colour is amazing. His ultra-light style of playing, however, seems to me a hinderance in some of the "heavier" music (like Gaspard de la Nuit). Still, he plays the Miriors incredibly. Amazon has samples, so I think you could get a pretty good idea whether or not you like his style from those. :)
The Roge set is very good, but better can be had. The Bavouzet set is certainly among the better ones I've heard (and sonically breath-taking), but Abbey Simon and Robert Casadesus are the tops. The Simon is in excellent sound, the Casadesus in good mono.
Quote from: Todd on October 21, 2008, 06:35:45 PM
The Roge set is very good, but better can be had. The Bavouzet set is certainly among the better ones I've heard (and sonically breath-taking), but Abbey Simon and Robert Casadesus are the tops. The Simon is in excellent sound, the Casadesus in good mono.
Casadesus is another one on my list (to buy and listen to). Have you heard the Perlemuter and Gieseking? How do you think they compare to Casadesus?
In any case,
Gaspard (likely the Gieseking rendition) is on my list for Halloween listening.
What do you guys think of the Jacques Fevrier set?
I know we're talking about complete sets here, but maybe this is a place to mention a recording of Miroirs from a slightly unexpected quarter which - maybe I'm alone in this - I find really stunning:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Q3377V0SL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
The playing isn't always in the Ravel tradition, but it convinces on its own terms. What astonishes me, however, is Chiu's huge tonal variety and tonal control and his ultra-delicate touch. The Decaux is equally stunning in this respect - I simply don't know how he manages to make some of the details of the music sound as he does. The Schoenberg is fine, too.
I thought I'd post this for anyone who hasn't seen it.
It's Perlemuter playing Ondine at the age of 90 odd.It's what persuaded me that I needed to get one of his Ravel sets.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez1s9JCzvQg (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez1s9JCzvQg)
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 21, 2008, 07:24:04 PMHave you heard the Perlemuter and Gieseking?
I have Perlemuter's Vox recordings, and they are very good indeed. Probably my favorite Jeux d'eau. His technique isn't the best ever, but it's up to the challenge. Sound is slightly better than acceptable. Gieseking is Gieseking, but here his approach doesn't work as relatively well as for Debussy. HIs Gaspard lacks a little something, though his Le Tombeau tickles the ears. It's hit and miss, though the pianism is generally well above average.
Any opinions on the set by Heidi Lowy on Bayer? I've had this set for about two years, but haven't listened lately. I remember liking what I heard though.
Had a very nice time tonight listening to Gaspard. Michelangeli was the pianist, his 1969 Helsinki performance.
Just a stunning example of re-creative art. His power and concentration in Scarbo sends shivers. If ever a performance deserved "classic" status, I'd say this is it.
Quote from: donwyn on February 18, 2009, 09:47:01 PM
Had a very nice time tonight listening to Gaspard. Michelangeli was the pianist, his 1969 Helsinki performance.
Just a stunning example of re-creative art. His power and concentration in Scarbo sends shivers. If ever a performance deserved "classic" status, I'd say this is it.
Which other pieces does this Arkadia/Hunt CD include?
I hope to do some comparison listening soon with the Casadesus and Bavouzet sets.
Strange that there seems to be no mention of my favourite Ravel artist.
Actually, truth be told, I haven't heard Casadesus in this -- so maybe he puts Pogorelich in the sahd.
Doubt it though ;)
Quote from: Mandryka on February 19, 2009, 07:42:48 AMActually, truth be told, I haven't heard Casadesus in this -- so maybe he puts Pogorelich in the [shade].
What do you mean by 'put him in the shade'? Casadesus and Pogorelich are vastly different artists and approach Ravel very differently. I love Pogo's Gaspard, but even so his take is decidedly self-indulgent and not at all like Casadesus'.
Quote from: rubio on February 19, 2009, 04:52:47 AM
Which other pieces does this Arkadia/Hunt CD include?
Contents are:
•Ravel Piano Concerto in G, Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI di Torino/Nino Sanzogno
Turin 2 January 1952
•Valses nobles et sentimentales, Arezzo 12 February 1952
•Gaspard de la nuit, Helsinki 22 May 1969
•Galuppi Sonata no 5 in C, Turin 1962
Arkadia GI 904.1
The sound for Gaspard is fairly good. Clean, crisp, no distortion, and virtually no audience noise (except for a hacker at the very opening of the piece).
The concerto and Valses aren't recorded as well but for their vintage are perfectly acceptable.
Wow, this is an old thread that I missed. My vote is for Anne Queffelec. I prefer my Ravel sec. Other good sets are the previously mentioned Simon and Casadesus. But you also need Argerich for Gaspard, the Sonatine, and the Valses.
The Casadesus, though mono, is much better sounding than the horribly swimmy sound Nimbus gave Perlemuter. I could never adjust to the sound of that Nimbus set, so I eventually got rid of it.
This morning I compared 3 short works, Pavane, Jeaux and Prelude, performed by Marcelle Meyer, Casadesus, Bavouzet and Entremont. My conclusion is that I am glad to have the latter three sets.
Meyer was too fast in Pavane and the sound was muddy on Jeaux. No Prelude recorded by her.
Casadesus was great in all three.
Entremont was my favorite for Pavane pour une infante defunte. I wonder why his name never comes up when Ravel piano works are mentioned? The other two works were good as well, just not as good.
Bavouzet was very good too, I just wish that the recorded sound was less reverberant.
Quote from: rubio on July 08, 2007, 10:42:54 PM
My only set so far is from Samson Francois (6-CD Debussy and Ravel set on EMI).
What can you (and anyone else) tell me about that set,
rubio?
Quote from: George on February 20, 2009, 01:47:37 PM
Bavouzet was very good too, I just wish that the recorded sound was less reverberant.
George, it might not be the recorded sound that's bothering you, but the piano. Bavouzet's set is a "HIP" set, using a 1901 Steinway D. The early Steinway isn't as "meaty" as a modern Steinway but compensates by being more sweetly sonorous in timbre. It might take a bit of an "aural adjustment" to acclimate yourself to the piano but the effort is definitely worth it. :)
Quote from: donwyn on February 20, 2009, 07:37:26 PM
George, it might not be the recorded sound that's bothering you, but the piano. Bavouzet's set is a "HIP" set, using a 1901 Steinway D. The early Steinway isn't as "meaty" as a modern Steinway but compensates by being more sweetly sonorous in timbre. It might take a bit of an "aural adjustment" to acclimate yourself to the piano but the effort is definitely worth it. :)
No, I actually dig the different sound of the piano, it's just that like many reverberant recordings, the effect is wonderful when the music is simple and slow, but as soon as things speed up and/or get complicated, the focus begins to blur.
Quote from: George on February 20, 2009, 07:44:14 PM
No, I actually dig the different sound of the piano, it's just that like many reverberant recordings, the effect is wonderful when the music is simple and slow, but as soon as things speed up and/or get complicated, the focus begins to blur.
I guess it's just a difference in perspective, then. The sound on this set doesn't bother me at all.
Quote from: donwyn on February 20, 2009, 07:50:25 PM
I guess it's just a difference in perspective, then.
Yep, once again. :)
Quote from: lukeottevanger on October 22, 2008, 02:24:13 AM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Q3377V0SL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
I am certainly going to look out for this! Thanks for the tip.
I can vouch for the quality of the Perlemuter Nimbus disc, but I really dislike the Nimbus recorded sound. It's just very artificial and faux-dimensional to me. Though unique...
My overall winner is Louis Lortie, though. I have yet to hear this Bavouzet fellow, but Lortie beats out Thibaudet for my ears. Then again for the Valses Nobles et Sentimentales I'd go for Dezso Ranki (sorry, too lazy to type diacritics, but not too lazy to type this excuse for not typing diacritics).
I don't know (or care!) if it's the best, but thoroughly enjoying the Abbey Simon set I bought a few weeks ago and an absolute steal for the price sold on Amazon -
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GGHo9IlKL._SS500_.jpg)
Bumping this thread to ask if anyone has heard the sets by Hewitt and Osborne? Any good?
Allow me to add another voice in favor of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. I love his Debussy as well. Of course I have to have Walter Gieseking, but Bavouzet is my "go-to" choice for a modern recording.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61SAlTAVg%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Quote from: Joe_Campbell on October 20, 2008, 07:17:03 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GUyGlhu3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
I have this set, and Thibaudet's technique and sense of colour is amazing. His ultra-light style of playing, however, seems to me a hinderance in some of the "heavier" music (like Gaspard de la Nuit). Still, he plays the Miriors incredibly. Amazon has samples, so I think you could get a pretty good idea whether or not you like his style from those. :)
Despite all the love I've showered on Bavouzet over the years Thibaudet is now the set I favor most. What a
Gaspard!!
Quote from: StLukesguildOhio on November 29, 2012, 02:36:10 PM
Allow me to add another voice in favor of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. I love his Debussy as well. Of course I have to have Walter Gieseking, but Bavouzet is my "go-to" choice for a modern recording.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61SAlTAVg%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Bavouzet is my current set for these works (replaced
Louis Lortie, which I probably should have kept?) -
Roge is another 'older' consideration - I've not heard the
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, although I own some of his other recordings - plenty to think about! :)
Update on my the Perlemuter: I recently found flacs of this, and found it quite a bit more listenable on my current BAT/Rogue/Vandersteen system. I'd still vote for Queffelec, though.
Quote from: SonicMan46 on November 29, 2012, 03:47:23 PM
Bavouzet is my current set for these works (replaced Louis Lortie, which I probably should have kept?) - Roge is another 'older' consideration - I've not heard the Jean-Yves Thibaudet, although I own some of his other recordings - plenty to think about! :)
Correction of the above in bold - I did keep my Lortie set of this music - :)
But as I was reviewing more current releases of these works,
Angel Hewitt has a 2-disc set on Hyperion; not someone who comes first to my mind in this repertoire, but the recording received an excellent rating on Amazon & a laudatory review on MusicWeb HERE (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2002/May02/Ravel_Hewitt.htm) - still a little pricey unless a Dyad is released - BUT, just curious if anyone has heard her interpretations/performance of these works - thanks! Dave
(http://www.classicalarchives.com/images/coverart/9/a/a/e/095115114223_300.jpg) (http://image.betamonline.com/sdimages/disk13/418295.jpg)
Quote from: SonicMan46 on November 30, 2012, 06:09:06 AM
Correction of the above in bold - I did keep my Lortie set of this music - :)
But as I was reviewing more current releases of these works, Angel Hewitt has a 2-disc set on Hyperion; not someone who comes first to my mind in this repertoire, but the recording received an excellent rating on Amazon & a laudatory review on MusicWeb HERE (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2002/May02/Ravel_Hewitt.htm) - still a little pricey unless a Dyad is released - BUT, just curious if anyone has heard her interpretations/performance of these works - thanks! Dave
(http://www.classicalarchives.com/images/coverart/9/a/a/e/095115114223_300.jpg) (http://image.betamonline.com/sdimages/disk13/418295.jpg)
I have not heard Angela Hewitt but I would not think it so counter-intuitive for her to play these works very nicely. Right now I am sampling
George Pludermacher (whose Beethoven cycle did not thrill me, but he's French, and might do better with Ravel).
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yK2Q1O6oL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Quote from: betterthanfine on November 29, 2012, 02:20:14 PMBumping this thread to ask if anyone has heard the sets by Hewitt and Osborne? Any good?
Heard Hewitt. It's good, but not top flight.
Quote from: sanantonio on November 30, 2012, 06:36:58 AMRight now I am sampling Georges Pludermacher (whose Beethoven cycle did not thrill me, but he's French, and might do better with Ravel).
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yK2Q1O6oL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
That's the best thing I've heard from him, excepting, perhaps, his Janacek Violin Sonata with Laurent Korcia.
Quote from: SonicMan46 on November 30, 2012, 06:09:06 AM
Correction of the above in bold - I did keep my Lortie set of this music - :)
But as I was reviewing more current releases of these works, Angel Hewitt has a 2-disc set on Hyperion; not someone who comes first to my mind in this repertoire, but the recording received an excellent rating on Amazon & a laudatory review on MusicWeb HERE (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2002/May02/Ravel_Hewitt.htm) - still a little pricey unless a Dyad is released - BUT, just curious if anyone has heard her interpretations/performance of these works - thanks! Dave
(http://www.classicalarchives.com/images/coverart/9/a/a/e/095115114223_300.jpg) (http://image.betamonline.com/sdimages/disk13/418295.jpg)
I once made some comparisons on the Gaspard la Nuit thread (bi-weeky appreciation), which I copied below. I think Hewitt is ok,but not one I would pick up first, especially if the price is still high. She does some of it well, but I find her worst drawback is to focus on the details at the expense of the overall line. Several peices are on youtube from that album, so you could compare for yourself as well, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNV0BZO9Rmk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNV0BZO9Rmk)
Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 07, 2011, 11:23:33 PM
I, personally, would appreciate this. I have looked up some stuff on my own, so I now have a better understanding, but more would be useful. I don't think I had ever listened to this piece until today.
As to the piece, a tale of two performances. I listened to different performances, and that has made a huge difference. I have put my comments below of each separately. The Hewitt came first, followed by some Michelangeli (who was recommended above) on youtube. I listened to excerpts of a few others as well. I can see now how differently they play the piece. Michelangeli gives the piece clearer structure and provides a nice arc/forward movement to the piece. Hewitt seems to focus too much on some of the details of the moment, and doesn't always connect them together as well. I hated her Ondine. I liked Michelangeli's. Anyway, some comments here (and I have left the original Hewitt comments so you could see the change/evolution of views)...
Ondine (Hewitt) -oh my! All the frill trilly stuff and it goes on and on and on and on and on. Finally after 2-3 minutes, we get to some more interesting bits and there is better overarching structure to the piece (admittedly, on the second listen, I hear the overlying structure earlier, but the trills/frills are so irritating). I understand the trills/frills are supposed to be moonlight on the water? Is this correct? Not convinced. This is painful for me to listen to.
Ondine (Micahelangeli) on youtube: Holy cow! The structure of the piece is immediately apparent from the first note and so is the texture. The trills are now a part of the whole instead of being somehow outside of it. The buildup to the central portion and ending are much clearer and the Ravel sound is much more beautiful (even though recording quality is worse). Just based on this, I can throw my Hewitt recording 'out the window' so to speak.
Gibet (Hewitt) - The tension is great if you like this sort of thing and the solemnness is outstanding. There is a certain beauty to this. I could see myself growing to love this piece. I could also see myself hating the repeated bells if I listened too often.
Gibet (Mich) - Slightly less attention to the bell, which could make this more listenable on a repeated basis, but to be honest, not so terribly different from Hewitt (at least compared to Ondine). He plays it a bit colder/impersonal. Hewitt has a bit more passion. (Listening to Richter on this, he brings out the...dschordant aspects...even more at times). There is only so often I could listen to this piece I think.
Scarbo (Hewitt) - Finally. This portion initially strikes me as far more interesting than the other two. I enjoyed it here. But it is more complex, so may require more time to get a handle on. On a repeated listen, I thought it more static than the others even though there seemingly is more going on in terms of piano acrobatics. This movement is less memorable for me.
Scarbo (Mich) - Makes the struture easier to see (although I have already listened to it once) and thus, easier to see where he is heading. To be honest, by the third listen of everything, my ear is starting to get tired. I may need to revisit this in a few days. But the movement does not have the same staying power for me. In my mind, I have a clear harmonic and associative memory for the the first two parts. After Scarbo ends, I don't have much memory at all - dischord perhaps. Interesting that my reaction to the movement is identical regardless of who plays it (so far).
And the final verdict: Well, still working on that one. I'd like to let it percolate for a few days.
Has anyone heard this set before by Anne Queffelec? I heard it on the radio and am now intrigued.
[asin]B00000C2K9[/asin]
This just arrived in my mailbox from my editors at MusicWeb.
(http://www.propermusic.com/cache/images/c/0/7/c07d860e395aa2b6927c717e6c1df53f.jpg)
One thing sticks out immediately: 'Une barque...' is over 9 minutes long.
Quote from: Rhymenoceros on July 08, 2013, 12:32:36 PM
Has anyone heard this set before by Anne Queffelec? I heard it on the radio and am now intrigued.
[asin]B00000C2K9[/asin]
I am intrigued too. I dig her Satie those Virgin twofers are usually cheap.
It doesn't get much better than Pascal Roge's performances:
(http://merlin.pl/Ravel-Piano-Works-Roge_Double-Decca,images_big,26,4408362.jpg)
Quote from: Brian on August 08, 2013, 02:48:18 PM
This just arrived in my mailbox from my editors at MusicWeb.
(http://www.propermusic.com/cache/images/c/0/7/c07d860e395aa2b6927c717e6c1df53f.jpg)
One thing sticks out immediately: 'Une barque...' is over 9 minutes long.
Finishing up my review. This has exceeded all my expectations. Far from giving us Generic Ravel Album #3952, Alessandra Ammara is a distinctive, even idiosyncratic artist who plays some of this music like I've never heard it. Huge dynamic range, risk-taking playing, especially in a
Gaspard that's admittedly weird but in a grandly powerful way.
A quote from the future review:
"Other readings (Sudbin, Schuch, Pogorelich) are this steely and forceful, but Ammara's feels like it has only just come out of the fire and still glows red. She's not authentic to the text, and is maybe over-the-top, but maybe irresistible.
"And that's true of her Ravel generally: even where it steps out of orthodoxy, it's irresistible. She's a compelling artist with a real, individual voice. ...at least for now I'm taken enough with her gigantic, dramatic, even operatic ways with this music to defend it against any critic. This is a major release."
World premiere recording of original Ravel piano piece
(http://ecstatic.textalk.se/shop/thumbnails/shop/17115/art15/h7340/4847340-origpic-d0606f.jpg_0_0_100_100_250_250_0.jpg)
It seems that after the publication of "Daphnis et Chloe", Maurice Ravel arranged a few of the scenes into a suite - similar to Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka. The works are of similar length and demand similar virtuosity; neither attempts to project the narrative of the original ballet, but instead they try to be successful standalone piano works.
Oh: and Ravel's Daphnis suite for piano has never before been recorded.
So far I'm really impressed with this Vincent Larderet recital (he used the scores annotated by Vlado Perlemuter), and the mere presence of a "new" 20-minute piece played so well makes it an automatic recommendation. Will Larderet be to Daphnis as Pollini was to Petrushka?
I just wanted to point out that anyone interested in the Casadesus
[asin]B000007QCI[/asin]
the double CD is going for $57 on Amazon right now, for some crazy reason (OOP?)
However, this box also has both discs, as well as 23 other gems. It can generally be had for a little cheaper than those two disks alone (just over $50)
[asin]B00CUPQHT6[/asin]
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 04, 2014, 07:28:09 AM
I just wanted to point out that anyone interested in the Casadesus
[asin]B000007QCI[/asin]
the double CD is going for $57 on Amazon right now, for some crazy reason (OOP?)
You can get a newer issue for €8.99 from Amazon France.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515QR9HZTYL.jpg)
Quote from: Rhymenoceros on July 08, 2013, 12:32:36 PM
Has anyone heard this set before by Anne Queffelec? I heard it on the radio and am now intrigued.
[asin]B00000C2K9[/asin]
I own it. It seems good to me but I'm not a Ravel fan. I have never felt the need to get a second set though.
Based on Tod's review, I got the Bavouzet. Whoa nelly. I could see where someone might like something meatier and less ethereal, but I personally consider myself set for life. Thanks for the heads up. 8)
Enough of this opinion stuff! I need a definitive answer. ;D
Lortie, Hewitt, or Queffelec?
(all players must be from Quebec or have names that sound like Quebec)
What about Thibaudet?
Upcoming release: Florian Uhlig has recorded the first-ever complete set of Ravel's piano music, including both the early, unimportant La Parade and the composer's late, very good piano arrangement suite from Daphnis et Chloe. Currently the latter is only available on an excellent disc by Vincent Larderet, who studied Perlemuter's copies of the scores.
Quote from: Brian on July 25, 2014, 08:06:06 AM
Upcoming release: Florian Uhlig has recorded the first-ever complete set of Ravel's piano music, including both the early, unimportant La Parade and the composer's late, very good piano arrangement suite from Daphnis et Chloe. Currently the latter is only available on an excellent disc by Vincent Larderet, who studied Perlemuter's copies of the scores.
Wicked tempting, it will be.
Long time viewer, first time poster. I have all of the Ravel recordings under discussion - and a few others. Folks have been mentioning preferred recordings so I won't bother discussing less honorable mentions - but one contender I would nominate is Sermet's recording on the Auvidis Valois label. Sadly, this is a challenging recording to procure. The other thing is that Sermet has been slow to record (release?) V2.
(http://cdn.tower.jp/zz/m/3298/3298490047552.jpg)
A recent recording I enjoyed - very nice Miroirs - both performance and recorded sound...Vinnitskaya
(http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/83278521/Anna+Vinnitskaya+Ravel+0001673754_350.jpg)
Quote from: KenL on July 25, 2014, 05:03:36 PM
Long time viewer, first time poster. I have all of the Ravel recordings under discussion - and a few others. Folks have been mentioning preferred recordings so I won't bother discussing less honorable mentions - but one contender I would nominate is Sermet's recording on the Auvidis Valois label. Sadly, this is a challenging recording to procure. The other thing is that Sermet has been slow to record (release?) V2.
(http://cdn.tower.jp/zz/m/3298/3298490047552.jpg)
A recent recording I enjoyed - very nice Miroirs - both performance and recorded sound...Vinnitskaya
(http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/83278521/Anna+Vinnitskaya+Ravel+0001673754_350.jpg)
Welcome! Extra Kens, extra blessings!
Thanks for the welcome! And has anyone mentioned Nojima's recording of Ravel? While I must admit a strong affection for Sermet's Ravel - which I now note is on You Tube, Nojima did a pretty nice recording of Gaspard as well - not to everyone's taste - but worth mentioning in the company of some of the other recordings that have been discussed.
[asin]B00000158C[/asin]
Quote from: KenL on July 26, 2014, 04:35:32 AM
And has anyone mentioned Nojima's recording of Ravel?
I have the Nojima. Can't really fault in any way either playing or recording, but I very rarely reach for it. Not the easiest thing to describe but I find interpretation somewhat prosaic.
Vinnitskaya looks interesting though I had some hit and miss experiences with her previously, both on her debut and on Ravel/Prokofiev concertos disc. That Prokofiev 2nd is simply phenomenal, my favorite recording of the piece, but the coupled Ravel's G major I liked much less, over emphatic and lacking grace in outer movements.
btw, welcome to the forum :)
New addition. I've only made it through Miroirs so far but the interpretation is definitely nothing to sneeze at. World class, actually, I'd say. Bianconi's vision of the music might be described as looking at it from the "outside in", as if he had the entire expanse of the piece in his mind's eye before even striking a single key at the piano. But that's not to say he's missing the trees for the forest. Rather it seems to allow him a certain ease and freedom to spell out his own unique voice in the music.
The sound helps greatly, close and clean, allowing Bianconi's big gestures to register without fear of distortion while capturing the tiniest ephemera with perfect precision.
It's a live performance but the audience does't make a single peep.
(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0002/973/MI0002973436.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Quote from: Todd on July 08, 2007, 01:32:03 PM
Is it
(http://www.arkivmusic.com/graphics/covers/non-muze/full/vox5012.jpg)
or
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NDZ25ZAYL._AA240_.jpg)
?
That's one tough call.
At the beginning of the year I picked up Abbey Simon's 1970s Vox recordings of Ravel's solo piano music and was simply amazed. I'd tried Simon's Chopin before, and while it's good, it simply didn't prepare me for his Ravel. I was used to a certain, almost straight-laced approach and sound to Ravel, even from the great Walter Gieseking. Simon is pretty much as un-straight-laced as can be. Everywhere and always he manipulates tempi and plays with such subtle dynamic shading that one cannot possibly hear everything in the first twenty hearings. His flexibility and re-creative freedom is simply a marvel. Every work is rendered fresh and new. His Gaspard de la nuit is dashed off with a virtuosic arrogance that hides the virtuosity. He plays brief passages of Scarbo in a blocky fashion, not because he's challenged, but because he's not challenged enough. He tears into the piano version of La Valse with control and panache and a color palette most pianists can't touch. Every other work, from the dazzling, appropriately sparkling Jeux d'eau to the serenely elegiac Pavane pour une infante défunte are mezmerizingly played. Surely, though, the crown jewel in Simon's set is his titanic reading of Miroirs. Never have I heard such fluidity and grace and swelling magnificence in Une barque sur L'océan, or rhythmic flexibility and solidity in Alborado del gracioso. Combine Simon's playing with superb analog sound that allows his amazing color palate through in a way his Chopin recordings do not, and one has a treat of immense proportions. An amazing, miraculous set!
I was sated. Such a great recording of Ravel's piano music should suffice not just for a year, but for many years. But then I picked up Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's recording on MDG. His achievement is on the same level, yet is quite different. The set opens with a Gaspard nearly the equal of Simon's, which is to say it's an extraordinary one. Le Gibet, in particular, is haunting, and Scarbo mischievous and delivered in astonishing fashion. From Miroirs, Oiseaux tristes deserves special mention, opening as it does in a most wondrous subdued manner and unfolding in a most natural and graceful way. The small works all fare extraordinarily well, but Bavouzet delivers perhaps the best versions I've heard of both Valses nobles et sentimales and Le Tombeau de Couperin. The Valses all sound absolutely magnificent: they have a gracefulness and effortless and flow that eludes other versions, which may even sound crude in comparison. Le Tombeau is perhaps more impressive. The three dance movements have the same effortlessness and gracefulness, and they posses a lightness and beauty and deep frivolity that simply amazes. (Yes, deep frivolity.) The more "serious" movements are so meticulously played that one can do nothing other than sit and listen in utter amazement. Mr Bavouzet's technique is superb, his touch varied, colorful, and insightful. (I simply must hear his Debussy!) As to sound, well, I've read that Michelangeli once said something to the effect that no piano is good enough for Gaspard de la nuit. If he had lived to hear this recording, he may very well change his mind. The 1901 Steinway D sounds stunning, and the recording is beyond Audiophile perfect in every way. Another amazing, miraculous set!
Of course my opening question is rhetorical. I love both these sets, but I cannot live without either Walter Gieseking or, especially, Robert Casadesus in this repertoire. And of course there are other superb recordings of individual works, but these two sets are both special. The Bavouzet, in particular, offers something special. Here is proof that great pianism is not only not dead, it's thriving, if only one looks around a bit.
I don't know if this thread is still alive (it's been a couple of years since the last post), but I want to mention something I discovered in listening to Abbey Simon's recording.
First of all, I agree with you about Simon's playing. It's amazing.
However, what's not amazing is his disconcerting habit of occasionally groaning while he's playing.
The loudest examples I've heard so far are:
CD 1 Track 5 (
Miroirs - I. Noctuelles): 0:32-0:33
CD 2 Track 1 (
Le Tombeau de Couperin): 6:47-6:50 and 21:16-21:25
CD 2 Track 3 (
Menuet antique): Throughout, but especially 0:19-0:22
CD 2 Track 6 (
Sonatine): 7:14-7:18 and 7:28-7:32
CD 2 Track 8 (
Jeux d'eau): Throughout, but especially 0:38-0:44 (you can hear it in the YouTube video below)
https://www.youtube.com/v/Sr7Gugbm93I
Unfortunately, now that I can hear his vocals, I can't not hear them.
But despite that, Abbey Simon's Ravel is fabulous. (And Bavouzet's Ravel is not too shabby either.)
https://www.youtube.com/v/2bC5raTbsFk
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 20, 2017, 08:42:38 PMI don't know if this thread is still alive (it's been a couple of years since the last post)
Since it has now been resurrected, the best available has changed. It is now:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71D9yeYmWRL._SX425_.jpg)
Simon's vocalizing is evident in his set, but it doesn't really bother me, but then I hear so much vocalizing on so many discs, that I just take it as it comes.
And if you dont mind older recordings
(https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51feMV8bJCL._SS500.jpg)
Samson François captures Ravel angst, strangeness and darkness like no other. He was an uncompromising artist.
I must say I have never encountered a set of Ravel's piano music that can hold a candle to Vlado Perlemuter's traversal on Nimbus:
[asin]B0000037J0[/asin]
Not be be confused with the earlier set on Vox, which is less accomplished IMHO and has sub-par sound (even for it's vintage). Then again, the Vox set has both piano concertos (conducted by no less than Jascha Horenstein), but these are in really bad sound...
Quote from: ritter on October 21, 2017, 07:31:58 AM
I must say I have never encountered a set of Ravel's piano music that can hold a candle to Vlado Perlemuter's traversal on Nimbus:
[asin]B0000037J0[/asin]
I'm listening to Perlemuter's Nimbus recording now, and I must say I'm a little underwhelmed.
For a start, the microphones sound too far away from the piano, leaving the overall sound in a haze of reverberation. Surely, Ravel's music was meant to be a little crystalline than this?
And there's a whopper of a mistake in
Alborada del gracioso: there's an unmistakeably wrong note at 5:23. I'm surprised Vlado or the producer didn't ask for a retake.
https://www.youtube.com/v/L9TbqGWdG3w
Anyway, I'm enjoying Perlemuter's interpretation of the music, but I'm really not enjoying the sound and the mistakes.
Update: The more I'm listening to this set, the more mistakes I'm hearing. It's painful.
Quote from: Todd on October 21, 2017, 06:04:22 AM
Since it has now been resurrected, the best available has changed. It is now:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71D9yeYmWRL._SX425_.jpg)
I have to agree with you.
Quote from: Todd on October 21, 2017, 06:04:22 AMSince it has now been resurrected, the best available has changed. It is now:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71D9yeYmWRL._SX425_.jpg)
Quote from: sanantonio on October 21, 2017, 04:25:02 PM
I have to agree with you.
Me too.
Update: I'm now doing a side-by-side comparisons of Chamayou and Bavouzet. I think I'm going back to Bavouzet as my favourite Ravel interpreter. Oh, and I'll put Abbey Simon and Werner Haas in the mix too, where they can sit alongside Chamayou and Bavouzet at the top of the heap of Ravel solo piano recordings. (Maybe I can add Louis Lortie and make it an "Equal Top Five Ravel Interpreters" list.)
They're all fabulous.
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 21, 2017, 02:00:17 PM
Anyway, I'm enjoying Perlemuter's interpretation of the music, but I'm really not enjoying the sound and the mistakes.
Update: The more I'm listening to this set, the more mistakes I'm hearing. It's painful.
Well, then
Perlemuter is obviously no for you... ;)
As I write, I'm listening to
Valses nobles et sentimentales, and must agree that the sound is a tad distant, but I find that this is more than compensated for by
Perlemuter's approach to the music, which strikes IMHO a perfect balance between "clarity" and "warmth", and displays some very natural phrasing, letting the music flow so easily. I am not distracted by any odd mistakes that may be there...
Cheers,
I want to like Perlemuter's performance more than I actually do.
I'm aware that, because of his association with Ravel himself, Perlemuter's approach has unassailable authority, but in the Nimbus release it's the combination of distant sound quality and surprising wrong notes that rules it out of contention for me.
As a historic document, Perlemuter's recording is invaluable. But it's simply not something I want to listen to repeatedly.
With Ravel's piano music, there seem to be two distinct schools of playing: there's the dreamy/poetic way, and then there's the diamond-hard/deadly-accurate way. I prefer the latter. I like a close-miked piano, with playing that could be termed straight, or non-interpretive. (Or putting it another way, it's music that's played with clarity.)
However, there is an interpretation I've heard that sits somewhere between those two extremes. It's by Werner Haas, and I like it a lot. The recording is a little bass-heavy, but Haas' playing is wonderfully clear-eyed. He has a definite view of how Ravel's music should be played, and I'm with him all the way.
http://www.youtube.com/v/Cwr2XgYFT0I
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 21, 2017, 02:00:17 PM
I'm listening to Perlemuter's Nimbus recording now, and I must say I'm a little underwhelmed.
For a start, the microphones sound too far away from the piano, leaving the overall sound in a haze of reverberation.
It's a Nimbus recording, what do you expect? ;) Seriously, it is their house style. I have several examples of Indian music on the Nimbus label and the diffuse nature of their recording style is always disappointing.
I tried to remember if Werner Haas was the one I liked and no, it turns out the one I liked was Jean Doyen, and he was not my overall favourite, but an interpreter I thought was interesting.
I don't think I have an overall favourite though (currently own Bavouzet, Uhlig and Rouvier)..... I remember my only complaint about Chamayou was that he was too perfect, which isn't really a complaint in Ravel. If I were to start looking at a new set, I would go with the outside bets on Alice Ader or Michael Endres.
Quote from: amw on October 23, 2017, 12:57:59 AM
I tried to remember if Werner Haas was the one I liked and no, it turns out the one I liked was Jean Doyen, and he was not my overall favourite, but an interpreter I thought was interesting.
I don't think I have an overall favourite though (currently own Bavouzet, Uhlig and Rouvier)..... I remember my only complaint about Chamayou was that he was too perfect, which isn't really a complaint in Ravel. If I were to start looking at a new set, I would go with the outside bets on Alice Ader or Michael Endres.
Yes, the
Rouvier set on Calliope (not easy to find these days, I think) did impress me favourably when I purchased it a couple of years ago.
As for
Chamayou, I more or less had the same impression as you did,
amw. "Too perfect", and as a result perhaps lacking in warmth and natural phrasing. But there is much to admire in it, no doubt.
Thanks to
Peter Power Pop for the
Werner Haas suggestion, which I'll explore (it's cheaply available--used--on a Philips "Duo" set). Talking about Haas, there's also
Monique Haas's (no relation to Werner AFAIK) traversal on Erato. It's been much lauded, but I found it strangely unconvincing when I bought it (perhaps less so than her
Debussy, which I did not like at all I must admit).
Cheers,
Quote from: ritter on October 23, 2017, 01:20:58 AM
Thanks to Peter Power Pop for the Werner Haas suggestion, which I'll explore (it's cheaply available--used--on a Philips "Duo" set). Talking about Haas, there's also Monique Haas's (no relation to Werner AFAIK) traversal on Erato. It's been much lauded, but I found it strangely unconvincing when I bought it (perhaps less so than her Debussy, which I did not like at all I must admit).
Cheers,
The Werner Haas recording can be heard in its entirety on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/v/Cwr2XgYFT0I
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 23, 2017, 01:46:57 AM
The Werner Haas recording can be heard in its entirety on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/v/Cwr2XgYFT0I
Thanks! :)
The main reason I went back to preferring Bavouzet to Chamayou was Chamayou's phrasing here and there.
A good example is the first movement of Le Tombeau de Couperin. (See videos below.) Chamayou adds little hesitations in his phrasing, whereas Bavouzet plays it straight. I prefer the full-steam-ahead approach of Bavouzet.
Chamayou (2:39-2:49):
https://www.youtube.com/v/gHesUYW6aCg
Bavouzet (2:30-2:40):
https://www.youtube.com/v/L3-8Boz7iSM
I'm currently listening to the (new to me) 2014 recording by Florian Uhlig (https://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Complete-Solo-Piano-Works/dp/B00KN2PK78), and I'm enjoying it enormously.
I might have a new favourite.
https://www.youtube.com/v/GaJECIEgGSU
(https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_1080/MI0003/782/MI0003782935.jpg)
Quote from: Spineur on October 21, 2017, 06:30:14 AM
And if you dont mind older recordings
(https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51feMV8bJCL._SS500.jpg)
Samson François captures Ravel angst, strangeness and darkness like no other. He was an uncompromising artist.
That is a great set. I also enjoy this one a lot.
[asin]B000063TSM[/asin]
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 23, 2017, 09:03:13 PM
I'm currently listening to the (new to me) 2014 recording by Florian Uhlig (https://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Complete-Solo-Piano-Works/dp/B00KN2PK78), and I'm enjoying it enormously.
I might have a new favourite.
https://www.youtube.com/v/GaJECIEgGSU
(https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_1080/MI0003/782/MI0003782935.jpg)
I enjoy that one a lot, especially the Daphnis & Chloe transcription, though I'm now listening to Rouvier's Tombeau de Couperin and think I might actually prefer it despite being not as good technically...
There are way too many good Ravel sets I think tbh
I think this set has been mentioned but deserves mentioning again: Pascal Rogé is usually my go-to pianist in French music.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5136kvbWsAL._SX425_.jpg)
Quote from: sanantonio on October 24, 2017, 01:10:22 AM
I think this set has been mentioned but deserves mentioning again: Pascal Rogé is usually my go-to pianist in French music.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5136kvbWsAL._SX425_.jpg)
Rogé's my favourite Debussy interpreter (https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Piano-Works-Claude/dp/B00000423A).
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/716kX7GgoAL._SX522_.jpg) (https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Piano-Works-Claude/dp/B00000423A)
Quote from: amw on October 24, 2017, 01:08:39 AM
There are way too many good Ravel sets I think tbh
Yep.
So many to choose from!
Quote from: sanantonio on October 24, 2017, 01:10:22 AM
I think this set has been mentioned but deserves mentioning again: Pascal Rogé is usually my go-to pianist in French music.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5136kvbWsAL._SX425_.jpg)
You mentioning Pascal Rogé reminds me of that other dependable French pianist, Louis Lortie. I really like his Ravel (https://www.amazon.com/Louis-Lortie-Plays-Ravels-Complete/dp/B0000VM3Y0) too.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71s2qM1TfyL._SY355_.jpg) (https://www.amazon.com/Louis-Lortie-Plays-Ravels-Complete/dp/B0000VM3Y0)
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 24, 2017, 01:25:15 AM
Rogé's my favourite Debussy interpreter (https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Piano-Works-Claude/dp/B00000423A).
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/716kX7GgoAL._SX522_.jpg) (https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Piano-Works-Claude/dp/B00000423A)
I can't decide if I prefer Rogé or Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2Bu7jViIyL._SX425_.jpg)
Quote from: amw on October 24, 2017, 01:08:39 AMThere are way too many good Ravel sets I think tbh
Have you heard Hinrich Alpers?
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 24, 2017, 01:36:35 AM
You mentioning Pascal Rogé reminds me of that other dependable French pianist, Louis Lortie. I really like
I thought Lortie was from Montreal Canada?
Quote from: sanantonio on October 24, 2017, 06:28:43 AM
I thought Lortie was from Montreal Canada?
he's French-Canadian.
Quote from: George on October 24, 2017, 08:36:28 AM
he's French-Canadian.
In other words, he's not French.
Quote from: Scarpia on October 24, 2017, 08:44:09 AM
In other words, he's not French.
I had no idea he was (French-)Canadian. I just thought he was yet another in the long line of French pianists pestering Ravel.
Can I still see him as French because he has the name "Louis"?
Quote from: sanantonio on October 24, 2017, 02:08:54 AM
I can't decide if I prefer Rogé or Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2Bu7jViIyL._SX425_.jpg)
I haven't heard Bavouzet in Debussy, only his Ravel.
Must investigate.
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 24, 2017, 01:24:09 PM
I had no idea he was (French-)Canadian. I just thought he was yet another in the long line of French pianists pestering Ravel.
Can I still see him as French because he has the name "Louis"?
Of course you may. Maybe next time I listen to Wilhelm Kempff I will think of him as Mexican.
Quote from: Scarpia on October 24, 2017, 01:40:07 PM
Of course you may. Maybe next time I listen to Wilhelm Kempff I will think of him as Mexican.
Excellent. (And thanks for making me laugh out loud.)
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on October 24, 2017, 01:24:09 PM
....
Can I still see him as French because he has the name "Louis"?
If you consider Quebec as a french province wrongly usurpated by the british empire... But then you may also be caught up in some heavy crossfire as a sizable minority (?) in Quebec would still like to gain its independence from Canada.
Quote from: Todd on October 24, 2017, 05:48:09 AM
Have you heard Hinrich Alpers?
Never heard the name before, no.
Quote from: amw on October 24, 2017, 02:07:25 PM
Never heard the name before, no.
He's one of the way too many good sets. His set is obscure, and the product differentiator is that he does not include all the little works but instead includes a half dozen short works dedicated to or inspired by Ravel. I'd plump for his Schumann disc, but I'm all Faschingsschwank aus Wien'd out for the time being.
Quote from: Todd on October 24, 2017, 05:48:09 AM
Have you heard Hinrich Alpers?
Quote from: amw on October 24, 2017, 02:07:25 PM
Never heard the name before, no.
A couple of reviewers on Amazon.com (https://www.amazn.com/Complete-Piano-Works-Hinrich-Alpers/dp/B014JJBC6S/) have raved about him.
There's a level-headed review on the Culture Catch website (http://culturecatch.com/music/ravel-wang-alpers-grante).
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81XBcxFDXpL._SX522_.jpg) (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Piano-Works-Hinrich-Alpers/dp/B014JJBC6S/)
Quote from: Todd on October 24, 2017, 02:13:19 PM
He's one of the way too many good sets. His set is obscure, and the product differentiator is that he does not include all the little works but instead includes a half dozen short works dedicated to or inspired by Ravel. I'd plump for his Schumann disc, but I'm all Faschingsschwank aus Wien'd out for the time being.
I actually like Faschingsschwank so I'll look him up next time I have a chance to listen to music! (also gotta finish my Smetana Quartet Beethovens lol) Honens is a good arty microlabel in general, there was a decent if slow Hammerklavier I heard recently on it by an Asian-American pianist whose name I don't remember now
Quote from: amw on October 24, 2017, 03:39:10 PM
I actually like Faschingsschwank so I'll look him up next time I have a chance to listen to music! (also gotta finish my Smetana Quartet Beethovens lol) Honens is a good arty microlabel in general, there was a decent if slow Hammerklavier I heard recently on it by an Asian-American pianist whose name I don't remember now
https://www.youtube.com/v/GMLAFRbLUeU
Quote from: amw on October 24, 2017, 03:39:10 PMthere was a decent if slow Hammerklavier I heard recently on it by an Asian-American pianist whose name I don't remember now
Looks like Katherine Chi.
Yes thank you both. Good job.
Quote from: Joe_Campbell on October 20, 2008, 07:17:03 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GUyGlhu3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
I have this set, and Thibaudet's technique and sense of colour is amazing. His ultra-light style of playing, however, seems to me a hinderance in some of the "heavier" music (like Gaspard de la Nuit). Still, he plays the Miriors incredibly. Amazon has samples, so I think you could get a pretty good idea whether or not you like his style from those. :)
I have this Thibaudet set. I can't say it's better/worse than any other version, but I can say that I love his playing on this. The recording quality is also quite good. Recommended!
-09
Quote from: Omicron9 on October 30, 2017, 04:41:48 AM
I have this Thibaudet set. I can't say it's better/worse than any other version, but I can say that I love his playing on this. The recording quality is also quite good. Recommended!
-09
His Satie set on Decca is also lovely.
Quote from: Spineur on October 24, 2017, 02:05:51 PM
If you consider Quebec as a french province colony wrongly usurpated by the british empire... But then you may also be caught up in some heavy crossfire as a sizable minority (?) in Quebec would still like to gain its independence from Canada.
Corrected. :)
Quote from: Todd on July 08, 2007, 01:32:03 PM
Is it
(http://www.arkivmusic.com/graphics/covers/non-muze/full/vox5012.jpg)
or
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NDZ25ZAYL._AA240_.jpg)
The Samson François set is another where most who have an opinion on this find it indispensable.
Monique Haas also recorded it all, another set with a phenomenal display of pianism coupled w the profoundest caliber of musicianship.
... and there is Vlado Perlemuter, whom, regardless if there is a complete set, or the quality (by age) of the recordings, I urgently recommend you to check out.
Quote from: Monsieur Croche on October 31, 2017, 11:57:32 AM
The Samson François set is another where most who have an opinion on this find it indispensable.
Monique Haas also recorded it all, another set with a phenomenal display of pianism coupled w the profoundest caliber of musicianship.
... and there is Vlado Perlemuter, whom, regardless if there is a complete set, or the quality (by age) of the recordings, I urgently recommend you to check out.
The original thread is a decade old. I've listened to all those and many more. Chamayou is the king. For now.
Of the ones you mention, the Francois is far and away my favorite. The EMI/Warner Francois big box is as indispensable as the Cortot big box, but in some ways even more satisfying. Even when Francois was not on top form, he was compelling.
Quote from: Todd on October 31, 2017, 01:32:04 PM
The original thread is a decade old. I've listened to all those and many more. Chamayou is the king. For now.
Of the ones you mention, the Francois is far and away my favorite. The EMI/Warner Francois big box is as indispensable as the Cortot big box, but in some ways even more satisfying. Even when Francois was not on top form, he was compelling.
Alrighty, then. All that's left to be desired is more undiscovered Ravel piano solo works to be 'discovered' and then recorded!
Quote from: Monsieur Croche on November 06, 2017, 03:54:28 AM
Alrighty, then. All that's left to be desired is more undiscovered Ravel piano solo works to be 'discovered' and then recorded!
Wikipedia lists a juvenile work by a teenaged Ravel, variations on a theme from Grieg's
Peer Gynt...wouldn't mind hearing that.
The "Daphnis" piano suite, recently recorded by Florian Uhlig, is mighty good.
Quote from: Brian on November 06, 2017, 04:39:44 AM
Wikipedia lists a juvenile work by a teenaged Ravel, variations on a theme from Grieg's Peer Gynt...wouldn't mind hearing that.
Neither would I, but has anyone recorded it? Better question: has it been published?
Quote from: Florestan on November 06, 2017, 05:43:47 AM
Neither would I, but has anyone recorded it? Better question: has it been published?
No to both questions.
First, I should say that Ravel is one of my favorite composers, and I especially admire his solo piano music. So, I've heard a great many recordings over the years. In my mind, I tend to separate the interpretations of French pianists from non-French pianists, as I find the French often bring a special Gallic sensibility, if you will, & distinctive piano touch to both Ravel & Debussy. Although I must admit that, since I know so many recordings by French pianists, I'm also quite fascinated (& refreshed) to encounter non-French pianists playing Ravel with a remarkable imagination--such as Ivo Pogorelich, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, & Claudio Arrau in Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, for example (even if they're not very Gallic sounding).
Secondly, I would say that I've also found it a great benefit to hear pianists that knew and worked with Ravel, such as Jacques Fevrier, Robert & Gaby Casadesus, and Vlado Perlemuter (as well as present day pianists that studied with these friends of Ravel); along with Ravel's own piano rolls.
My favorite sets & individual recordings from the older French pianists include those by Jacques Fevrier (despite his advanced age at the time he recorded this music), Monique Haas (her earlier recordings are her most stunning), Madaleine de Valmalètte--whose Le Tombeau de Couperin has arguably never been surpassed, and Samson François, whose richly imaginative Miroirs remains one of the best I've ever heard.
Among present day French pianists, I've most liked sets by Philippe Bianconi (a student of Gaby Casadesus), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (who, along with François is the only other pianist I've ever heard that understands the Jazz influence in Ravel's Prelude), Jacques Rouvier, Georges Pludermacher (a student of Fevrier), and to a slightly lesser degree, Jean-Phillipe Collard, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, & Anne Queffelec, who are also very fine.
In recent years, I've admired two sets--from Bertrand Chamayou & the German pianist Florian Uhlig, though I probably wouldn't jump to recommend either as a first or second choice, at least not in preference to those mentioned above (or to Alpers mentioned below).
(I'd also be keen to hear Michel Dalberto (a Perlemuter student) and Alain Planès (a Fevrier student) tackle this music at some point. Yes, I'm a little nuts about Ravel.)
Among non-French pianists, as mentioned, I've long admired the recordings of Gaspard de la Nuit by Pogorelich, Michelangeli, and Arrau. I'm also currently engaged and hugely impressed by a recent Ravel set from pianist Hinrich Alpers, who's new to me and one of the most impressive pianists I've heard in a long time! It becomes immediately apparent from the first notes that Alpers has thought very deeply about this music, and has some real ideas about how Ravel should be played. He also has a stunning technique. My only hesitation in giving Alpers my highest recommendation is that the set is new to me, and I don't know as yet how it will wear on me over time: I confess I have a tendency to get overly excited when I discover a new pianist of real stature (and I'm presently having to restrain myself from declaring it the best set of the digital era!). I simply need more time with it.
Thank you for this very nice and thoughtful writeup, Josquin. I have a much more limited collection than you do of Ravel Piano music. However, for the one I have, I fully agree with your comments.
Played the Ravel from Marcelle Meyer's big EMI box again yesterday and think it's excellent! Not as deeply into the music ao I could point out favourites for particular pieces though.
Quote from: king ubu on November 22, 2017, 01:11:10 PM
Played the Ravel from Marcelle Meyer's big EMI box again yesterday and think it's excellent! Not as deeply into the music ao I could point out favourites for particular pieces though.
I haven't heard her Ravel, just her Bach. But it reminded me of a recording I've wondered about:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2Bi0qWxiBL._SX425_.jpg)
Anyone know it and would offer some comments?
You're welcome, Spineur.
I neglected to mention Marcelle Meyer and Yvonne Lefébure among the older French pianists (& Reine Gianoli), as I haven't heard their Ravel. I'm curious--did they know Ravel personally? I do know that Meyer was Erik Satie's favorite pianist, and as a young woman she worked on Debussy's Preludes with Debussy, so I would imagine her Ravel is worthwhile.
Quote from: Scarpia on October 23, 2017, 09:38:30 PM
That is a great set. I also enjoy this one a lot.
[asin]B000063TSM[/asin]
I bought this when it first came out but haven't listened to it much. I am now. I generally like Hewitt's playing.
Quote from: king ubu on November 22, 2017, 01:11:10 PM
Played the Ravel from Marcelle Meyer's big EMI box again yesterday and think it's excellent! Not as deeply into the music ao I could point out favourites for particular pieces though.
I got a copy of the Meyer after reading your comments some months ago. I agree with you completely. She's really got something. Will try her Ravel later.
I suppose I'll add my two cents to this discussion which seemed to have ended last year...
Sets I Own:
Tharaud (Harmonia Mundi)
Queffélec (Virgin Classics)
Perlemuter (Nimbus)
Chamayou (Erato)
Muraro (Accord)
Ader (Fuga Libera)
Bavouzet (MD&G)
Thibaudet (Decca)
Osborne (Hyperion)
Of all of these sets, Tharaud and Queffélec are my favorites and for quite similar reasons. First, I don't think either pianist plays this music 'perfectly' if there's even such a word to begin with. I also think that both pianists can sometimes get a bit cerebral, but, and this what I love about both of them, they play the music without histrionics and needlessly flashy, showman-esque flair, which I personally can't stand. A few nights ago, I listened to a piano roll of the composer himself play his Pavane pour une infante défunte and I was struck by how simple his approach was and how he didn't allow himself to get in the way of the music. His approach reminded me of both Tharaud and Queffélec in that he was direct. Ravel is quite a difficult composer to get 'right' in that there seems to be a tightrope that's constantly being walked. The more you give into your impulses, the more you lose focus and the whole musical fabric comes undone, but if you don't give a bit of yourself to the music, then the outcome can be uninteresting. Also, the demands on the pianist are, at the turn of the phrase, being threatened. So it's not an easy thing to bring this music to life in a way that checks every box a listener may have, but the afore mentioned pianists really get to the heart of this music and pull off this difficult balancing act remarkably well.
I have Queffelec and Lortie. I prefer Lortie.
For complete sets and think my favorites are Bavouzet and Hewitt, both of whom create a satisfying contrapuntal texture from the music, and benefit from superb audio.
Quote from: Ken B on April 29, 2018, 08:49:25 PM
I have Queffelec and Lortie. I prefer Lortie.
Hmmm....but you're not even a Ravel fan:
Quote from: Ken B on April 04, 2014, 08:02:39 AM
I own it. It seems good to me but I'm not a Ravel fan.