Customer Reviews

Ravel: Piano Works

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Together with the 2CD set of Debussy's piano works, these two albums are master recordings of the finest impressionist piano music. Pascal Roge has an astonishing control of the sound of the piano, and can bring out a beautiful palette of various tone colours and moods, orchestrating the piano and creating a dreamworld of sensations. Listen to the wonderful suite Gaspard de la Nuit, the marvellous sonatine (especially the second movement), and of course the mirroirs... This album is a must!

Having searched for ages for a definitive recording of the Impressionistic Masterpiece "Gaspard de la Nuit", I found it in this CD. Roge plays the technical inferno of Ondine and Scarbo with flawless taste and passion. This recording would rival that of Martha Argerich's famous recording of Gaspard that has long been thought to be the best. The Tombeau and Sonatine are also very nicely done. Sometimes however, with the smaller lesser known pieces such as the Minuet, you get the sense that he is sightreading, not truely feeling the music. Nevertheless this is a must have.

I have to concur with Del Dotto's opinion in the yr 2000, this is as close to definitive as possible.
But why stop at just 1 excellent recording, also consider Jean Efflam Bavouzet on the MDG label. As well another definitive recording (yes its possible to have more than just one definitive) is Alexandre Tharaud's recent recording on Harmondo Mundi.

Pascal Rouge, a true master in Ravel, a very rare talent in the recording industry.

Maurice Ravel has had an astonishing elite of supreme personalities who have represented him such as Alfred Cortot, Walter Gieseking, Robert Casadesus and Samson Francois.

Since Samson Francois, no other pianist had emerged with such memorable capacity to convey the listener the facets of this author and depict with suuch accuracy the Impresionistic universe of Ravel. Pascal Roge is a fabulous pianist, who has established as the supreme major force around the world.

Probably, after him the place will be occupied by Pierre Laurent Aimard, who actaully is the best exponent in Debussy's piano music. Roge's velvet touch and the mesmerizing fingering lets us to enter the kaleisdocopic world of Maurice Ravel with notable freshness and outstanding naturality.

Don't miss this memorable album.

Not only does Roge out-do even Walter Gieseking and Ivo Pogorelich, but Roge's performances here are stylistically the closest I've heard to the piano-roll recordings by Ravel: hypnotized and hypnotizing, selfless, not merely exquisite. Roge matches Gieseking's virtuosity while conveying more structural unity to each of the individual pieces. For example, Ondine has two climaxes, and Roge plays it so that it works as a single entity, which is an amazing achievement, which couldn't happen without Roge's trance-like style.

Although Gieseking remains the supreme master on Debussy (out-doing everyone including Roge on Debussy), Roge occupies the supreme position on Ravel, which is cooler music that demands Roge's trance-like style.

Pascal Roges recordings of Ravels great piano works serves as a honest mark of the music that never was, but perhaps might have been. Gently capturing the sheltered aura of pre-novelite Chopin, whilst endowing the music with the acousto-eco-hyperbolies of Keats, this recording is not to be missed. one can almost sense the tragic embrace that beheld Toffy and Dolly in that one moment, that one eternal moment. Ah. I shall never forget it. Ravels piano works are, in all senses, composures of 20th century modernity, suffused with the country-stylised effects of, say, Emmylou Harris, and the impecably marked greenhouse-jubilance connecting all the pieces in one final exotic anti-frenzy makes certain implications on ones ability to hate. I dont hate this cd, for example. the best pieces are Jeux d'eau, what a hit! and Le Tombeau de Couperin. Buy this cd and you will/wont be very very happy.