Ravel - Gaspard de la nuit - Valses nobles et sentimentales - Le Tombeau de Couperin
10/7/2013, 17 Tracks, 1:05:43
Featuring
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger
Maurice Ravel
Did you know?
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Performer Biography
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, the pianist on this album, began studying organ, piano, and composition as a child and graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with five first prizes.
Composition History
Le Tombeau de Couperin, composed between 1914 and 1917, is an homage to 18th-century masters, with each piece dedicated to a friend of Ravel's who died in World War I.
Composition History
Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales is a homage to Schubert, who composed twelve Valses nobles and thirty-four Valses sentimentales.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ravel's prodigious expertise, his taste for challenging musical feats, and his determination to never repeat himself are evident in the works on this album.
Critical Reception
The Valses nobles et sentimentales were initially described as 'amateur' at their 1911 premiere, where they were performed anonymously and even Ravel's admirers did not recognize his style.
Composition History
Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit was composed in 1908, influenced by the oppressive atmosphere of his family apartment where his stroke-afflicted father was confined.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at La Ferme de Villefavard, an extraordinary venue in the Limousin countryside known for its exceptional acoustics, designed by Albert Yaying Xu.
