Ravel's Piano Concerto was performed 17 times across Europe on a tour by soloist Marguerite Long and Ravel himself, making it widely known quickly.
Ravel struggled with his Piano Concerto in G Major for over two years, finding it more difficult than his Concerto for Left Hand.
Ravel's Piano Concerto incorporates 'blue' notes, slides, and urgent syncopations borrowed from jazz.
Olivier Messiaen, a composer, humorously criticized the slow movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto, suggesting Ravel couldn't have taken it seriously.
Ravel stated he wanted to compose his Piano Concerto in the spirit of Mozart and Saint-Saëns.
All three works on this album, Ravel's Concerto in G Major, Schoenberg's Piano Concerto, and Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques, have American connections.
The album cover features "Hartweich (Hard Soft), No. 390" by Wassily Kandinsky, painted in 1930.
