Customer Reviews

The Complete Piano Works of Maurice Ravel, Volume One

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The five works on this CD, which is the first of two volumes Artur Pizarro is releasing of Ravel's complete piano music. From the watery magic of Jeux d Eau and the dark virtuosity of Gaspard de la Nuit, to the multi faceted Miroirs and the brilliance of La Valse, this recording highlights not only Ravel's amazing ability to depict extra musical characters and emotions through music, but also Artur Pizarro's very individual way of bringing these pieces to life in his playing. I have to say this such a rewarding disc to listen to. Pizarro's interpretation of Ravel is very personal and moving. Even in the disc's most complex passages and in Gaspard de la Nuit we encounter one of the piano repertoire's real monster works. Pizarro's playing gives the impression of being as free from resistence as the fountains, cascades and streams Ravel describes in his Jeux d'Eau. I would definitely recommend this cd and I'm looking forward to buying the second volume when it comes out.

Pizarro plays these gems of the standard piano repertoire with great love and enjoyment, no doubt. To most who aren't familiar with what is generally accepted as the standard performance practice of these pieces, this is a very enjoyable album to listen to. However Pizarro's interpretation of these pieces lacks the essential research needed to make them shine in the way the composer truly intended. Ravel notoriously demanded of the performers of his works an almost obsessive attention to the detail of his dynamic markings, pedal usage and tempos, many of which Pizarro ignores. One can certainly make the argument that the conventional approach has been overdone and that it's time these pieces have new life breathed in to them. Glenn Gould was famous for doing just that. But Pizarro is no Gould, because one can hear in Gould's recording the maticulous attention to detail, albeit different from the composer's intention, he took in his interpretations. Pizarro's pedal is muddy, his tempos are too slow and his rubatos are overly indulgent. The result is the album sounds clouded and distorted. Many listeners won't care about these things, and will enjoy this album regardless of the absent nuances of Ravel wishes, but they would truly be missing out. I would highly recommend Abbey Simon, Jean-Philippe Collard, or Werner Haas. True masters of their craft who do more than just play music they way they would like to hear it.