Ravel: Miroirs, La Valse - Stravinsky: 3 Movements from Petrushka, L'Oiseau de feu

Beatrice Rana follows up her acclaimed recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations with an album of virtuoso works, three of them transcriptions of ballet scores, that recall early 20th-century Paris. Stravinsky's Petrushka and The Firebird are scores that sparkle even in their piano versions, and so does Ravel's giddy and sinister La Valse. Miroirs by Ravel, a set of evocative piano miniatures, completes the album. Gramophone Editor's Choice.

Featuring

Beatrice Rana
Maurice Ravel
Igor Stravinsky

Did you know?

1/7

Performer Biography

Beatrice Rana discovered Guido Agosti's transcription of L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird) recently in America, having previously believed the work was exclusively for orchestra.

Album & Artwork

The album's title, 'Giochi di Specchi' (Reflections), reflects its concept as a mirror of an age of renewal and crisis, and the idea of mirrored images is a feature of all the works.

Compositional Technique

Ravel's La Valse features 'broken waltzes' or 'shattered mirrors,' where the waltz rhythm is recognizable but infused with new harmonic tensions, leading to a frenzied dissolution.

Composer's Artistic Vision

For pianist Beatrice Rana, Ravel is like the painter Manet, with precise and measured structures, while Debussy is like Monet, with more ethereal and less defined lines.

Compositional Technique

In Stravinsky's Petrushka, the concept of harmony is revolutionized, with dissonance becoming central to the piece, and the pianist must play in two contrasting keys simultaneously.

Interpretation

Guido Agosti's 1928 transcription of Stravinsky's L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird) allows for more interpretive freedom and a sensual approach to the keyboard compared to Stravinsky's own rigid indications.

Historical Context

Each composition on this album has a connection to dance, as they all originated in relation to this art form, particularly during the era of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.