Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Carter: Night Fantasies; Two Diversions; 90+

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Composer), Elliott Carter (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard
• Composer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Elliott Carter, Maurice Ravel
• Audio CD (June 21, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Warner Classics
• ASIN: B0009OBYUW
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,620 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. I Ondine

2. II Le Gibet

3. III Scarbo

4. Night Fantasies

5. I

6. II

7. 90+

Disc: 2

1. Illustrated Talk By Pierre-Laurent Aimard

2. Commentaire Illustre De Pierre-Laurent Aimard

3. Erlauterungen Und Klangbeispiele Von Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, lyrical performance of a modern classic, July 4, 2005

By 

Joe Barron (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Carter: Night Fantasies; Two Diversions; 90+ (Audio CD)

"Thorny," "knotty," "craggy," and "acerbic" are some of the unflattering adjectives that unsympathetic critics have used to describe Elliott Carter's "Night Fantasies" since the work's premiere in 1980. Those clichés will have to be retired now en masse as a result of Pierre-Laurent Aimard's marvelously lucid account of Carter's 22-minute meditation on insomnia. Aimard brings a light touch to the sudden mood swings; even the more aggressive sections seem lyrical in comparison to some other readings. (The work has been recorded commercially seven times. Like the composer's Duo for Violin and Piano, it has found a lot of champions in its short life. One sees it entering the mainstream repertoire as time goes on.) Also noteworthy is Aimard's precise pedaling, which gives a haunting, almost ominous quality to many of the soft passages. It is a captivating reading that ranks alongside my two favorites, those of Stephen Drury and Ursula Oppens.

Lucidity is also the watchword in the three other, shorter gems by Carter on the disk: 90+ and the Two Diversions. On a bonus disk, Aimard gives a 25-minute lecture on the music -- in English as well as French and German, for those of you who swing that way. He illustrates his points with plenty of musical examples, separating Carter's conflicting juxtapositions into their separate lines and then putting them back together. Neither overlong nor overly technical, the presentation added a lot to my appreciation of the music, and I've known this work for years. Listen closely, though; Aimard speaks English softly, with an accent.

The CD also includes a fine performance of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, chosen, evidently, as a second nocturne to complement the Night Fantasies. On the bonus disk, Aimard describes the work as a clocklike mechanism, and his precise yet delicate interpretation reflects that attitude.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ravel/Carter played by Aimard, June 9, 2009

By 

Christopher C. Hart (Goldendale, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Carter: Night Fantasies; Two Diversions; 90+ (Audio CD)

I have heard several recordings of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, but I enjoy Aimard's performance the most. The wonderful color palette, subtle and wonderful sense of line and musical style, sensitive use of dynamics, and superb clarity, and more make for a great performance. The works by Carter are played beautifully also. I heartily recommend this recording.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 17, 2006

By 

J.O. (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Carter: Night Fantasies; Two Diversions; 90+ (Audio CD)

I've been a huge Aimard fan, but this CD is a major disappointment. One would think this French pianist armed with staggering technique would provide a landmark Gaspard recording, but this performance is nothing of the sort. He grossly underplays the sensuality and poetry throughout, and virtually ignores the devilry in Scarbo. Oddly enough, his Night Fantasies is excellent--he nicely clarifies the thorny textures. Unless you want a curiously neutral performance of the Ravel, I'd skip this CD.