Ravel, A la maniere de... Emmanuel Chabrier

[rachfan]

This piece has beaucoup charm.  Composed in 1913, this piece was a pastiche dedicated to  Ravel's friend Cipa Godebski and was first played by Alfredo Casella at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on December 10, 1913.

[rachfan]

This piece a enjoyable to hear and to play.  Oddly, though, Ravel didn't base it on any theme of Chabrier!   Rather, it is a paraphrase of Gounod's "Flower Song" from Faust.
Nonetheless, Ravel expertly recreates the Chabrier idiom for us in paying homage to that composer.  Comments welcome.

[piano121]

Thatīs funny, This piece reminds me a lot of some Satieīs melodic lines. I have played a couple of pieces from Satie a long time ago, (Je Te Veux, Gimnopedie) but the first impression I have is that Ravel, along with Debusy and others certainly sufered some kind of influence from Satie.

Your interp is very beautifull to. It is very chaming indeed, very carefully executed. You capture the nostalgy of this piece very well, and bring out a few moments of humor, and optimism. Interesting that Ravel is often very visual to me, as well as Satie, and other impressionists. Probably bvecause of the subconscious association created with impressionist painting. But I cant help imaginig those beatifull Degasīs ladies, or Monetīs Gardens with all that beautifull brush strokes, that at first glance didnīt mean much, but when you walk away from the image, then you start seeing the master work. For me itīs the same with impressionit music. It isnīt right there on your face, at first audition. You have to deal with the piece for some time. Walk away from it a bit, then you are able to see all the brushstrokes working as a unity, and you can see all the colours going together. Itīs a beautifull thing.

[rachfan]

Hi piano121,

Thanks for listening!  Also, for your kind words on my playing.   I totally agree with your comments on Impressionism.  I do believe too that there is a very close correlation between the  Impressionists in their respective visual and performance arts--so, for example between Monet, Manet, Degas, Pizarro, etc. and on the other hand Debussy, Ravel, early Satie, Griffes, and some of Faure's music as well, although some consider him more as a later Romantic than an impressionist.  But when I hear or play one of Faure's Barcarolles, it sure strikes me as being impressionistic! 

And yes, you do have to get perspective on it all to best appreciate it.  I'm reminded, for example, of a couple of Monet's "series" paintings of the Haystacks and also of La Cathedrale de Rouen.  In each one he tried to capture a different light of day.  To really appreaciate them (since they are held in different collections), you have to see a few of each on tour together in perspective to appreciate what the artist really accomplished with his nuances.  For me, an impressionist painting can often convey a far greater reality than a representational painting of the exact same subject.