Ravel piano repertoire in progressive manner.

[thaicheow]

Hi,
Wonder how should I start up with Ravel. Anyone may can give me some suggestion, or list his work from easier pieces to more difficult pieces, in a progressive manner according to difficulty?

Thank you.

[kitty on the keys]

GOOD FOR YOU TO LOOK INTO RAVEL.

1.  PRELUDE----SINGLE PIECE
2.  SONATINE  MOVEMENTS 2--1---3
3.  MOTHER GOOSE SUITE  2 PIANO 0R DUET
4.  LOOK OVER SOME OF THE VALSES FROM VALSE NOBLES ET SENTIMENTAL
5.  MINUET FROM LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN

THERE ARE ALSO SOME SINGLE PIECE IN "HOMMAGE TO " VARIOUS PEOPLE

HOPE THIS HELPS

KITTY

[nicco]

Of course the Piano Concerto and the Gaspard de la Nuit are among the hardest.

btw, is it really necessecary to write in capital letters?

[verywellmister]

I asked a similar question and got no replies.

1. Prelude (I would look into something harder than this)
2. Pavane pour une infante defunte (sp?)/La Valle de las Cloches (Miroirs)/Menuet from Tombeau de Couperin
3. Oiseaux Tristes (Miroirs)
4. Noctuelles (Miroirs)
5. Sonatine (2nd mvt is easiest.  I had a harder time in getting the right tone for the 1st mvt than the 3rd, which is otherwise the hardest).

From here on I'm guessing, because no one replied to me in the topic i posted a while ago! (the people at PW actually helped but I never got a clear answer).

6. The other movements from Tombeau (except toccata)
7. Une Barque sur l'Ocean (Miroirs).  Said by some to be kinder on the hands than Jeux d'eau.
8. Jeux d'eau/Toccata (Tombeau de Couperin).  Jeux d'eau is harder interpretively, while Toccata is harder technically and empty in musicality compared to Jeux d'eau.
9. Alborada del Gracioso (Miroirs).  Double glissandi, tremolos all over the place...ugh.  The ending gets the audience cheering.  my dream piece.
10.  Gaspard de la Nuit.  I wouldn't say any movement is harder than another.  They each have their own challenges/

[nonfox]

Does anyone have the sheet music for Tombeau de Couperin??? I'd very much like to have this!

[gymnopedist]

Somewhat progressive:

Easiest:
Prélude
Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn
A la maniere de Borodin
A la maniere de Chabrier
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Some of the Valses nobles et sentimentales

Moderate:
Some of the Valses nobles et sentimentales
Menuet from Tombeau de Couperin
Menuet Antique
Sonatine - 1 (& 2) movements
La vallée des cloches
Oiseaux tristes

Hard:
Sonatine 3rd movement
The rest of Tombeau de Couperin
the rest of Miroirs
jeux d'eaux
Piano Concerto in G Major
Gaspard de la nuit

I'm not really sure of where to put the Left-hand Piano Concerto, since the only thing that's really hard about it is the Cadenza...

[jre58591]

the first ravel piece i did was the sonatine. it wasnt a bad pick i dont think. you can also try the valses nobles et sentimentales.

[nanabush]

My [only] piece from Ravel is the Sonatine.  I'd say if you can't play the first movement technically, then the third is out of the question, and the second will still be quite difficult.

[thaicheow]

Thanks. That's very helpful of you.

I can't help but deeply in love with Jeux d'eau and Ondine, in Gaspard. Attempting them for few months already, but want to give up for awhile.

I watch Ritcher and Martha played the Jeux d'eau (online) and couldnt sleep whole nite. 

[thorn]

I asked a similar question and got no replies.

1. Prelude (I would look into something harder than this)
2. Pavane pour une infante defunte (sp?)/La Valle de las Cloches (Miroirs)/Menuet from Tombeau de Couperin
3. Oiseaux Tristes (Miroirs)
4. Noctuelles (Miroirs)
5. Sonatine (2nd mvt is easiest.  I had a harder time in getting the right tone for the 1st mvt than the 3rd, which is otherwise the hardest).

I wouldn't include the Noctuelles in the same league as the others suggested here. Noctuelles is the same standard as Une Barque and Alborada; but because it is shorter, some people think it isn't

[silverangel]

Ravel is, to my opinion, one of the hardest composers.  Depends on your level, actually.  I haven't played all of his piano pieces (I intend to!) but I can give you a list of what you should do among those I've played, which is not much...

Sonatine 2nd mvmnt
Sonatine 1st mv
Sonatine 3rd mvmnt
Jeux D'eau

And that's about all I played - in that order!!!!!  If you're planning to play ravel, have fun and good luck!

[rachfan]

Hi traicheow,

I've posted my recordings here of the character pieces that would be fine "starter" pieces for you in order to gain a good grasp of both his impressionist and classical composing idioms.  Sometimes you develop more of an affinity to some pieces by hearing them first.  If you are not familiar with these pieces and would like to hear them, here are the links:

Prelude pour Piano

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18436.0.html

Minuet Antique

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18670.0.html

A la maniere de... Borodin

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18468.0.html

A la maniere de... Emmanuel Chabrier

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18467.0.html

Menuet sur le nom de Haydn

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18466.0.html

Pavane pour une infante defunte

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,21925.0.html

Les entretiens de la Belle et la Bete (from Ma Mere L'Oye)

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18469.0.html

La vallee des cloches (from Miroirs)

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,18464.0.html

Hope this helps.

[dnephi]

I'm shocked by how many pieces you've recorded! ....  .... 

Wow

[rachfan]

Hi delphi,

Sorry, I was hurried, as my wife was rushing me off to assist with something else--thus the misspelling.  I just went back and fixed it.  Thanks for pointing it out!   

Yes, I love playing Ravel--one of my favorite composers, so have done numerous recordings.  (At the moment I'm recording a lot of Bortkiewicz's music.)  An exception: I intentionally never recorded "Serenade grotesque", Ravel's first composition for piano composed in 1893.  He did not want his first effort ever to be published, although it actually was published posthumously (he died in 1937) by Salabert in 1975.  My own preference has been to respect Ravel's wishes, thus I don't play that piece.     

[thierry13]

La valse, wich was not named, is worth playing. About at the level of Gaspard de la nuit, maybe a bit easier for some people.

[thomasina]

I'm surprised at the number of people who list the Pavane pour une infante défunte as an easy piece, or recommend it for early study. (Perhaps because of its slow tempo?) It's extremely difficult to play on the piano, which is one of the reasons why many felt that Ravel did a Good Thing in turning it into a piece for orchestra.

[tanman]

I personally find Une Barque Sur L'ocean harder than jeux D'eau.

[kard]

I'm surprised at the number of people who list the Pavane pour une infante défunte as an easy piece, or recommend it for early study. (Perhaps because of its slow tempo?) It's extremely difficult to play on the piano, which is one of the reasons why many felt that Ravel did a Good Thing in turning it into a piece for orchestra.

I agree, it would probably be a certain degree of moderate. It really needs that special balance or approach to sound contemplative and huge at the same time. It also has to have that nitpicky technique so that the two variations on the first theme sound just as relaxed as the theme itself.

[jinfiesto]

tanman, I agree with you. Jeux d'eau is really pretty easy. My piano teacher used to tease me for not learning the piece when I was in middle school, apparently an appropriate age. There are definitely coloristic and other musical issues, but once you learn the notes (which are admittedly a bit funny if you haven't played any Ravel,) the piece really fits into the hands quite nicely. As for the poster who compared Jeux d'eau and the Toccata, the Toccata is a beast and is orders of magnitude more difficult. The Toccata is closer in difficulty to Gaspard.

Also, the Pavane is not that difficult. While there's not really much preparatory work you can do for Ravel, having played some Liszt definitely helps. If you're strong technically, I'd suggest the following order.

Jeux d'eau
Pavane
Easy movements of Tombeau (not Tocatta)
Easy movements of Miroirs (not the Alborada)
I'd say everything else is pretty much beastly.

In any case, having an excellent edition makes all the difference in the world when learning difficult repertoire. I recommend Robert Casadesus's edition for Jeux d'eau and Nancy Bricard's editions for the Miroirs, Tombeau de Couperin and Gaspard.