Gaspard de la Nuit -- Ravel

This is an excellent work by Maurice Ravel, one of my favorite composers. It consists of three movements, each based on a poem from a collection (also titled "Gaspard de la Nuit") by Aloysius Bertrand. Regrettably, I can't find any free online translations of the poems (let alone well-done translations), but if someone finds one, please feel free to leave a comment indicating where it is.

The work as a whole comprises some of the most technically challenging music for piano solo in standard repertoire (meaning no random obscure modern composers like Sorabji and Finnissy, both of whom wrote practically impossible pieces; however these are very obscure and modern and thus not considered "standard repertoire"). In fact, Ravel wrote it to be intentionally more difficult than Balakirev's Islamey, which was considered probably the most difficult piece before that point. I will most likely make a post about Islamey in the future.

My favorite of the three movements is the first one, Ondine. Here is the best recording I could find. I think this particular piece is incredibly subtle, and is not emotionally straightforward. To me, the entire piece is a contrast between a certain grace or beauty and then a dark underside. It seems to me that much of the higher themes and parts played by the right hand are representative of the graceful side of the piece, whereas the deeper, more sinister left-hand parts stand in great contrast and provide those hints of something malicious at work.

However, more compelling to me is the notion of seduction and its relevance to the piece. Supposedly, the poem by Bertrand on which this movement was based (also titled "Ondine") described a water-fairy who attempted to seduce men and lead them to her underwater kingdom. This is obviously drawn from mythological origins; an Ondine was a nymph-like creature, and it was said that, if her husband was unfaithful, the Ondine would curse him so that he would suffocate the next time he went to sleep. In both of these notions of "Ondine," it is clear to me that the beauty of the Ondine is not so much a Platonic, "pure" kind of beauty, but rather a seductive one. I cannot exactly explain how it is accomplished in this work, but to me, Ravel succeeds magnificently in expressing this idea of seduction musically.

Lastly, I enjoy how the texture of the piece mimics the warbling sound of trickling water, and in the more intense sections, sounds more like waves as one would hear at the ocean. This is a fantastic touch that also contributes to the accuracy with which the piece captures the subject of the poem.

As far as this particular rendition/interpretation, I think it is technically brilliant. This pianist performs the piece with amazing confidence and accuracy, even in the most technically demanding sections. I also think he treats the emotional climaxes properly and appreciates their weight and importance, preferring not to speed through them unnecessarily. My only criticism is the occasional excessive variation in tempo. Still, this was certainly the best interpretation I could find online, which is surprising, as there are recordings by both Ashkenazy and Argerich. I simply think they play rather mechanically and often too quickly as well, which results in too many wrong notes and a general lack of clarity.

The other two movements of the work are worthy of equally lengthy analysis because they are also (in my opinion) masterfully executed, however, I chose to write about the first movement simply because it appeals to me most personally. Perhaps at a later date I'll write posts about the other two movements. Except maybe not the second one, that one is really disturbing and sometimes I have a hard time listening to it.