Davies L., "Ravel Orchestral Music"
Davies L., "Ravel Orchestral Music"
Publisher: British Broadcasting Co | 1970 | ISBN: N/A | English | PDF | 64 pages | 13.3 Mb
Publisher: British Broadcasting Co | 1970 | ISBN: N/A | English | PDF | 64 pages | 13.3 Mb
It has become a platitude to claim that Ravel (1875-1937) delighted in paradox and harmless deception. In a sense, therefore, nothing would have pleased him more than to learn that his stupendous reputation as an orchestrator continues to rest on works not expressly written for the medium. One must be careful not to misconstrue this allegation. As any casual listener may confirm, the composer’s slender output includes the better part of a dozen well-loved contributions to the orchestral repertory, none of which would be relinquished by conductors without a struggle. What may nevertheless come as a shock — even to those who imagine they know their Ravel backwards — is the fact that all but a few of these glittering favorites had their origin in some other form, usually a piano suite or full-scale ballet. Perhaps it would be as well, then, to begin by making certain categorical observations on Ravel’s method of composing, which in so many respects was a thing quite peculiar to himself.
Davies L., "Ravel Orchestral Music"
