In 1928 Maurice Ravel described the violin and the piano as “essentially incompatible”. Yet by then he had already composed for those instruments two sonatas (one of which was published posthumously), Tzigane, and the Berceuse sur le nom de [Gabriel] Fauré – a miraculous output for a supposedly mismatched duo! Written for the most part in the early twentieth century, these works reflect Ravel’s interests and influences, including Spain, jazz, blues and foxtrot, Hebrew songs.... All of these pieces show Ravel’s modesty and poetry, and his marvellous ability to bring enchantment to our world.
Here Elsa Grether and David Lively present Ravel’s complete works for violin and piano, including two world premiere recordings: Gustave Samazeuilh’s arrangement of the Adagio assai from the Piano Concerto, and a transcription by André Asselin of the mischievous Five o’Clock Foxtrot from L’Enfant et les sortilèges. © Aparté