Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major
Музыка
- Composer: Joseph-Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 -- 28 December 1937)
- Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra
- Conductor: Ettore Gracis
- Soloist: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
- Year of recording: 1957
Piano Concerto in G major, written in 1929-1931.
00:00 - I. Allegramente
08:37 - II. Adagio assai
18:02 - III. Presto
The piano was Ravel's favorite instrument, and of his two extraordinary concertos, the Piano Concerto in G major was, in his opinion, "more Ravelian." Indeed, the two works are profoundly different, but without being, as Vladimir Jankélévitch observed in his book about the composer, more (or less) Ravelian than the other. Nevertheless, Ravel's opinion should not be dismissed, for it reflects his personal predilection, and, as any listener can tell, the work literally overflows with exuberance, delight, and verve. The Concerto may have been conceived in 1928, the year Ravel received his honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford. While some commentators have found the source of this Concerto in Ravel's Rhapsody on Basque themes Zazpiak bat, a project which remained unfinished, Robert de Fragny remembered that the composer had remarked that the dazzling opening theme came to him during a train ride from Oxford to London in 1928. In 1929, despite failing health, Ravel talked about a world tour on which he would perform his Concerto. While the world tour never materialized, the composer's life was sufficiently hectic, as he received a commission to compose another piano concerto, the Piano Concerto in D major (for the left hand).
Completed in November 1931, the concerto was premiered in January 1932, in a legendary performance by Marguerite Long. The sensations that this work conjures up, right from the beginning, are brightness and boundless energy.
- Opening with a whiplash sound, the first movement, Allegramente, proceeds rapidly, from an initial burst of light, composed of a lively piccolo tune threading through crystalline, harp-like piano figuration, to the incisive ending, traversing the many truly magical, even mysterious, moments of repose, when the piano indulges in dreamy, languid soliloquies. Delighting in the piano's expressive potential, Ravel fully employs the instrument's sonority, weaving, for example, a trill into a melody. The piano's rich and subtle discourse is magnificently matched by the orchestra, which, appearing in many guises, mimics and complements the piano, reinforcing the sensation of relentless energy by sharp, metallic, insistent statements by the trumpet. Ravel's splendid orchestration (like his "Daphnis and Chloe", uploaded on this channel), which tempts the listener to experience this work as a brilliant, and almost self-sufficient, demonstration of sheer musical color, reflects the composer's interest in jazz, evidenced by blue notes, trombone glissandi, and similar effects. However, the jazz elements are profoundly Ravelian, which means that they hardly strike the listener as out of context.
- The remarkable second movement introduces an introspective, soulful atmosphere, seemingly quite remote from the bustle of the previous movement. A simply stated solo piano theme, of a disarming yet profoundly soulful simplicity, suggesting, perhaps, the image of a solitary promenade in the moonlight, yields to a timeless flute theme which expresses feelings of longing, sorrow, and subdued, yet clearly stated, passion.
- The final movement, as the piano wends its way through a series of shrieks and wails, executed by woodwind and brass instruments, affects the listener as a mounting wave of sound. A sudden, abrupt exclamation concludes the seductive cacophony of this climactic movement, and the listener experiences a desire to revisit the enchanted landscape of a musical work whose limpid formal structure contains a seemingly boundless world -- without a trace of creative fatigue or ambivalence -- of elegantly turned musical ideas.
The concerto is dedicated "à Marguerite Long".
Пікірлер: 457
What a genius this guy was. A human being capable of coming up with music like this is a miracle.
6:35 this is an example of peak mastery of piano technique. To be able to play this passage where the piano mimics a human voice singing with vibrato and the soft undulating waves of arpeggios in the left hand requires immense technical prowess along with vocal knowledge. This is one of my favorite passages in all of piano repertoire, because it almost tries to defy the natural attack and decay of striking a note on the piano. It is also a return of the melody at 2:14, which is such a tender and vulnerable moment.
@hyperactiveofficial8096
9 ай бұрын
I knew it reminded me of something vocal! It's so operatic. That's absoultely amazing. I love Michelangeli.
The second movement is one of the most beautiful movements I have ever heard.
@goatlips8127
4 жыл бұрын
It's quite avant-garde with lots of #dissonance, so I'm not sure it's beautiful, like #RachmaninovsPianoConcertoNo2. It's haunting, eerie and spooky. I hate #AvantGarde music normally, but the 'bum notes' in the 2nd movement have real meaning.
@wbx9126
4 жыл бұрын
you're damn right about that
@zachguo6372
4 жыл бұрын
@@goatlips8127 avant-garde??? are you living in the 19th century? avant-garde is like ligeti and crumb stuff
@dopaminecloud
4 жыл бұрын
@@zachguo6372 sometimes you run into people that just haven't heard much yet, their frame of reference is small but the idea that they know what is good is rigid
@alejandrom.4680
4 жыл бұрын
Goat Lips That’s impressionist harmony nothing near to avant-garde what the fuck
I have to say that the Adagio Assai is one of if not the most transporting music piece I’ve ever listened to in my life. I closed my eyes and I saw a disabused leave from the city to a road boarded with trees, I saw a walk from the road through a plain with lush green herb, dancing with the wind under an old windmill touching a now calm and cyan puddle. I saw a fairy taking steps from the top of it, turning around while reaching the soil then disappear without her foot ever touching the ground. I saw a walk towards the mountain under rain, under snow, with a mantle menacing to fly away under the storm. I saw a peaceful village with familiar faces. I saw a maiden waiting for her beloved to return, walking alongside him, greetings friends, visitors and neighbors on the way, and then reaching a soft wooden house. I saw the vision disappear as the movement ended. Man, I love music. I cannot help but wonder how the humans managed to find something in our world that fitted so well with our own emotions, as if it was there just for us to hear, create and be amazed by.
@hello-rq8kf
Жыл бұрын
who asked
@tweer64
Жыл бұрын
@@hello-rq8kf Who said someone had to?
@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven
Жыл бұрын
@@hello-rq8kfyou're such a moron
7:00 is a quick peak into heaven
@giovannicolagrande
10 күн бұрын
15:00
Damn those F# against G major arpeggios at the start... are just miraculous
@aerohydra3849
4 жыл бұрын
I think the opening of this concerto is my favorite opening of any piano concerto ever :) Even better than the chords from Rachmaninoff 2, or Brahms 2...
@simonvanprooijen
2 жыл бұрын
No need to compare it to the opening of Rach 2, both 2 of the most amazing concerts of all time, both completely different style, both great openings...
@mathcampos_
2 жыл бұрын
lefipe
@dacoconutnut9503
2 жыл бұрын
@@mathcampos_ port
@fredericscriabinoff7612
2 жыл бұрын
It sounds really Spanish
This is such a bop
@olibeatson1247
10 ай бұрын
Imagine vibing to this before decade+ of economic decline and the greatest war ever
@GraysonAugustine
6 ай бұрын
Thank you for saying this, instead of the retarded garbage most other people say about how they can feel the universe calling them from the deepest depths of their soul or some shit
@luke9947
2 ай бұрын
The economic decline had just started
One of the greatest of all piano concertos. It never grows old. Ravel was a genius.
@goatlips8127
4 жыл бұрын
LOL, it's fairly awful either side of the 2nd movement. Ravel wishes he could've written melodies like in #Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2.
@kennethdower7425
4 жыл бұрын
@@goatlips8127 LOL, you're a total moron. 😂🤣😂
@cobblestonegenerator
4 жыл бұрын
@@goatlips8127 awww poor baby cant wrap its brain around dissonance and atonality? Also, there's no comparing Rach to Ravel. They're at opposite ends of the spectrum.
@goatlips8127
4 жыл бұрын
@@cobblestonegenerator #autistic spectrum. I can compare non-musical shite with musical melody if you cannot.
@cobblestonegenerator
4 жыл бұрын
@@goatlips8127 give me thought out reasons why you consider this bad music. If you can actually convince me, then ill agree. Though, if all you can do is spread purposeless vitriol about amazing composers, then your insults mean absolutely nothing.
This is the kind of composition that vastly expands the vocabulary of music. Like Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin, Debussy's Etudes, and other visionary pieces from the marvelous early 20th century musical minds.
My mother learned this concerto for her university final year; I can't begin to imagine how devilish it was, but also how beautiful. Years later, we went to see our local symphony orchestra playing this live with a soloist. Talked to a friend afterward; all of us still had shockwaves going through our systems from the piece. Friend's reaction summed it up: 'During the second movement, I wanted to cry.' There's nothing else to say - it's just sublime.
00:00 I Allegremente 08:37 II Adagio assai 18:02 III Presto
Many years ago one of my students in an introductory class of psychology asked me to listen to the flute solo in the adagio asai starting at 10:00 and continuing on til 12: 30 or so. I have never forgotten that moment and it is etched into my frontal cortex until I die. Ravel is a genius and I am proud to say his music is the most extraordinary of all.
@Methylglyoxal
2 жыл бұрын
Why frontal cortex?
@yowzephyr
2 жыл бұрын
The flute solo begins at 11:40.
@kofiLjunggren
2 жыл бұрын
Are you still alive?
2:52 7:00 13:24 15:00 (16:26) Genius melodies.
@williamnelson792
2 жыл бұрын
Schumann used a melody similar to 15:00 in his op. 56 no 1.
I really think this version's pianist nailed the section from 20:17 to 20:54, they made the build up very worthwhile when they hit that high part, and it makes the entire piece very satisfying.
This concerto is full of wonderful passages. But i'm just in love with 2:14 , he harmonized that melody so beautifully.
I'm amazed at how good the recorded sound is--from 1957!
The 2nd movement is the most beautiful thing I've heard in my life, sounds like a fairytale!
To think I despised studying this when I was in school. After becoming obsesed years later with classical music I finally return to it and my mind has been melted by the raw striking genius. Infact the genius is so outrageously intense it's overwhelming, my life is a lie and my heart bleeds with fury and passion. Classical music is THE music.
@liriking11
6 жыл бұрын
Ezra Nixon Ravel is indeed an incredible genius. The two piano concertos, his string quartet, Daphnis et Chloe - he truly created unique sounds, colors and moods that are so characteristic and yet completely different from each other. He has an unbelievable harmonic language that engulfs the listener in a fantasy world beyond your imagination. I believe Daphnis et Chloe is the best work of art created by man kind.
@DreamlessSleepwalker
5 жыл бұрын
@@liriking11 I recommend listening to Debussy's String Quartet as well. Ravel's String Quartet is based off of Debussy's string quartet and Debussy's is actually better in my opinion.
@Protonixum
5 жыл бұрын
It's funny, I have the same thought for modern and contemporary music. By the way, Ravel is considered a modern musician ...
@HenryMidfields
5 жыл бұрын
Well, I guess, I only have one thing to say: Welcome home.
@goatlips8127
4 жыл бұрын
LOL, it is talentless, tuneless garbage outside of the 2nd movement.
I can't get over how happy the little section from 8:12 to 8:18 makes me feel.
2:52 my favorite part, so beautiful
I believe that every great composer would take their hat off to Michelangeli for his trills.
@preludio423
3 жыл бұрын
Michelangeli and Gilels have the greatest trill technique imo. Truly outstanding geniuses
@aldoringo439
2 жыл бұрын
Trills are probably the hardest piano technique. Especially on an upright
3:51 ... Some metal guitarist should pick up (from measure 17) as a complete necro riff. I love runs like these.
The second movement is a tender breath between piano and orchestra after a passionate night.
11:40 best orchestral intro ever.
I can never listen to the first movement without pretending to conduct it! Ravel was an utter genius and legend
that second movement gets me everytime. I wish it never ends.
7:23 based little toccatina section, wonderfully bombastic!
@kofiLjunggren
Жыл бұрын
Very bombastic!
we like a jazzy Ravel
It is said that Ravel and George Gershwin had talks together when the "American" was "In Paris".
@kwilo
3 жыл бұрын
Who was in Paris. Cmon Say it
@johnlindstrom9994
Жыл бұрын
Seems logical to me.
One of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard!
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli lives in this concerto as he plays it. Every pause he takes before playing in rhythm shows his intense feeling for this piece. No better performance and his performance in 1957 is ageless! Bravo, Arturo!
Shout out to the orchestra and all their soloists, especially in the 3rd movement (I hear you, Bassoon bro.)
@kelvinluk27
4 жыл бұрын
No. If you look at the score, there are parts where the horn goes solo but I can't hear it. and it is supposed to be mf while the trombone p, so I wonder if they deserve such praise. :(
I can't even express all the emotions that are running and expanding and flowing in my mind with this masterpiece. It feels as if it takes me to a previous life or through my whole life at the same time... devastating and exhilarating at the same time.
The second movments so good that even on a first listen its amazing.
Thank you for the score!! Probably the greatest interpretation ever recorded.
@felixkatify
2 жыл бұрын
It is a great interpretation. Closest I've heard to Nadia Boulanger (can't find it anywhere now), who was in my opinion the best...
One of the greatest recordings ever of this fantastic concerto
@miles3756
8 жыл бұрын
+bubffm not really
@punkpoetry
8 жыл бұрын
"not really" - I genuinely laughed out loud. "You can't play Ravel's G Major any better than Michelangeli" is something both Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter are on record as saying
@miles3756
8 жыл бұрын
ok then
@jamesfletcher1991
7 жыл бұрын
+Miles Shore pwned
@verslaflamme666
7 жыл бұрын
bubffm I like Zimerman's recording with Boulez lol
I wish Ravel had written more music.
@Dylonely42
9 ай бұрын
I wish Gershwin had written more music as well…
@theodoreconstantini2548
9 ай бұрын
@@Dylonely42 So do I.
Every piece ravel makes sounds like water and i cant get over how pleasing that is to the ear!!
@btk-3780
2 жыл бұрын
evidently you have not listened to Gaspard de la nuit
@gabrielhenschen9665
2 жыл бұрын
Gaspard de la nuit also sounds like water in a way
@phlaxyr
2 жыл бұрын
@@btk-3780 Well Ondine is a water nymph
I don't have words to describe my feelings. Happiness, astonishment, ravishing music! The second movement . . .. !
I really appreciate the combination of music and score! Thank you.
Being a hindustani classical singer.. since 14yrs... And then coming to playing classical piano for 8yrs.. and playing ravel and hearing it works.. makes me amaze and wonder how classical music is rich... Beautiful music... Technically hard but not impossible... Love ravel...
I can see the gershwin's influence in this piece
@YL-kl5iv
4 жыл бұрын
Jostim Romero Vargas somehow similar to the rhapsody in blue
@maxsteele4555
4 жыл бұрын
Also Copland's Rodeo.
@jeanguenerie4152
4 жыл бұрын
On the contrary: Gerswin was influenceed by Ravel. Take notes that Ravel was solder.
@jostimromerovargas8364
4 жыл бұрын
I think the influence was mutual
@geuros
3 жыл бұрын
@@jostimromerovargas8364 the influence was definitely mutual... after they met, Ravel composed somewhat jazz concerto (this one) and Gershwin somewhat classical one. This concerto reminds me American in Paris a lot :)
I am 100% in love with the first movement ending!
This is an amazing work, especially that calm middle movement which must rank as one of the loveliest pieces of writing for the piano ever. The outer movements pack a real punch.
Wow, that second movement, just wow.
The piano pieces that are the hardest to learn to play usually sound the best. Amazing piano concerto.
The piece to crown all piano genres in one. Classical, baroque, medieval even at times, romantic of course, jazz, and just general 20th century. Later 20th century as well (because Ravel was way ahead of his time - some of it sounds like bernstein or something at times.)
@franceskinskij
Жыл бұрын
no wonder Gershwin wanted to study with Ravel
Ravel's jazz-influenced compositions 1923-27 Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano 1929-31 Piano Concerto for the Left Hand 1929-31 Piano Concerto in G / Per wiki /
@cobblestonegenerator
4 жыл бұрын
For the Left Hand? Really? That concerto sounds more folk inspired to me. Then again, i haven't really researched it. In G though for sure. There are parts of this concerto that sound like they were written by Gershwin lol
That regularity is amazing, such mastership and magical sound! At 6:14 and more at 6:34
Awesome concerto! I listen to it while chilling near the seashore at night
13:34 The psychological maneuvering and the artistic design it took to achieve such a profound sense of reassurance and peace. I'm speechless. Again at 14:16
The second movement, and especially the passage from 14:24 to 15:00, is so beautiful.
6:29 the music flows so well there is no pause or delay in the way the musical thought is captured.
Michelangeli interpretation of this concert is just sublime; the best of all times by far!! Michelangeli was one of the greatest pianists ever!
@andrewdavies1879
4 жыл бұрын
Ive got this recording on vinyl and cd coupled with Rachmaninoffs 4th, incredible performances
@andrewdavies1879
4 жыл бұрын
Alongside his performance of Rachmaninoffs 4th
@felixkatify
2 жыл бұрын
It's wonderful but the great Nadia Boulanger's performance tops it... (this one is the closest I've heard to her interpretation). I had that recording in the 70s but cannot find it anywhere now. Of course Nadia was a student of Faure's and a classmate of Ravel, so she knows how the master wanted it to be played...
I can laugh, cry, and dance to this. Thanks Olla.
On ne peut imaginer plus belle interprétation de ce chef d'oeuvre.
@cactusmanofdestiny3708
2 жыл бұрын
Certissimus.
4:57 that sounded like dies irae
@ruyfaco
4 жыл бұрын
It is Petroushka
@kestrel4733
3 жыл бұрын
Not sure if it’s specifically a reference to the dies irae but it’s definitely there. The b flat down to the a back to the b flat then down to the g. Only difference is in rhythm.
I admire your taste in music greatly, as it matches mine. Modern Ravel, Rautavaara, Ornstein, Prokofiev, I love it all.
@stitchyduck
7 жыл бұрын
Mine extends a bit into the time after some of those composers, most notably Nikolai Kapustin. I honestly feel that I'm the only impressionist-jazz period liker. haters back off
@raulespejo2587
7 жыл бұрын
Do exists haters of impressionist composers or Kapustin???
@stitchyduck
7 жыл бұрын
Some, yes. I personally know a classmate of mine who hates Kapustin but likes Ravel and Debussy.
@joelin3049
7 жыл бұрын
Shostakovich no? Yeah, he can be leaning towards neo-classical.
@goatlips8127
4 жыл бұрын
The 2nd movement's dissonance makes it really eerie and fascinating. But normally avant garde compositions have no meaning and no musical value. I don't know of Rautavaara, Ornstein or Kapustin, but if they could've written #RachmaninovsPianoConcertoNo2 they would have, LOL!
How on earth did this lovely piece end up at #300 on the recent 2018 Classic FM ‘Hall of Fame’?
@pianoplaynight
5 жыл бұрын
Well Classic fm is absolute garbage, that might have contributed
@reinulf656
5 жыл бұрын
I guess there must have been 299 better ones.
Jolie citation de la Rapsody in Bleu de G Gerschwin. On adore
I absolutely adore the 3rd movement
@ilikebeef
2 жыл бұрын
Its basically jazz
@aldoringo439
2 жыл бұрын
You've gotta be mad
@SevenEyesofGod
5 ай бұрын
@@ilikebeefso?
@ilikebeef
5 ай бұрын
@@SevenEyesofGod wdym "so" i didnt make any points
Just heard this on the radio and it got to me
fantastic..Michelangeli's performance is mAGICAL!!!
@ThomasJagusch
2 жыл бұрын
I agree, just the added high B note in the very end of the 2nd mvmt doesn't hit my taste...
I agree the second movement is Beautiful,touches me everytime,love Ravel a genius,Bye for now love Alan
Brilliant!
Lovely music and lovely description! It seems you love the music a lot, reading your commentary :)
Hauntingly beautiful second movement.
every time you listen to that first movement, the better it gets.
Grazie Arturo Benedetti Michelangelo, sarai per sempre un pezzo del mio cuore
Wonderful concerto.
I've been listening to this piece recently. I used to have it on an old CD (or perhaps just the 2nd movement?) and am enjoying getting acquainted with it, altho it's quite a lot of music and very erratic. Really enchanting too. Last year my piano project was rhapsody in blue, this might be this year's 👍
brilliant!
Yooo those glissandos are smooth ngl 😮
This is a very nice performance from 1957.
Absolute peak of French concertant music!
It is odd. Despite the beauty of the second movement, I never cry until the third movement begins. It's as though the second movement is the hardship, and the third movement is the relief
I'm hearing a bit of the theme from the Tombeau de Couperin's minuet at 13:22 and 14:05.
Le ré# et le la bécarre à 1:05 sont, dans le contexte, un grand moment de la musique, si expressif.
Movement 1 and 3 underrated
Wow that bassoon part at 20:00!!
Just... neat.
21:00 Godzilla's theme O.o
@roberacevedo8232
3 жыл бұрын
I cant believe I never noticed that before!!
Also, while it may be to late, can you upload ravel's concerto for orchestra and left hand? I would greatly appreciate it.
@olla-vogala4090
8 жыл бұрын
+Vacillation Jr. Hm, there always was a score-video on YT of Ravel's LH concerto, I guess it has been taken down... I'll put it on my to-do list!
@nm-zx1wf
8 жыл бұрын
olla-vogala Thank you very much!
@olla-vogala4090
8 жыл бұрын
***** Could you please try Bartje Bartmans if he's willing to do it? That is a very long piece and my to-do list is very long already...
🔥🔥🔥
Other composers’ piano concerto: 💧🌳🌹🎼⛰💎❤️🥲 Ravel’s piano Concerto: 🌈🍭🎪🎡🔮🎉🎈😆
13:27, 14:09, and 16:30 all sound so warm to me
Yes... Is so much beautiful... Do you have heard the 2nd movement of Piano Concerto by Francis Poulenc?
First movement makes me think of Magnolia Star, that one ILMEA piece, especially at around 5:00
15:00 best
@medviation
7 жыл бұрын
OMG yes. Goosebumps everytime. Plus 16:14 16:49
@philipphaberland4810
5 жыл бұрын
11:38
Why does Michelangeli delay the top line in the second movement, does that help bring out the left hand waltz? I love it whatever it's meant to do. Excellent expression there and throughout the piece.
really like 😘
20:18 - 20:42 IS SO INTENSE HOLY SHIT
@dennischiapello7243
4 жыл бұрын
True! Ironically, the whole passage is relatively easy for the pianist, who gets a break from the hard stuff for a while.
♡♡♡♡♡
FANTASTİC MUSİC, WERY SPRİTİOSO
6:19~はラヴェルらしい華麗なピアノ書法
Capolavoro assoluto!!!
riveting. truly_-+
Extraordinary when you realize this was recorded only 20 years after the création of this concerto!
@Iumine
2 жыл бұрын
I think it’s a bit nearer to thirty
@Christopher.E.Souter
Жыл бұрын
@@Iumine About 26 years. to be exact, but also, about 20 years after Ravel's untimely death from cancer in 1937 at the age of only 62.
@Iumine
Жыл бұрын
@@Christopher.E.Souter I think you're confusing Gershwin's death and Ravel's death. Didn't Ravel die of Pick's? Gershwin was the one (simultaneously in 1937) to die of a brain tumor.
19:03 "who lives in a pineapple under the sea"
@chaggle
Жыл бұрын
STOP YOU RUINED IT LOL
Probably the second most genius work he wrote
@kofiLjunggren
Жыл бұрын
What’s his first?