Ravel Archive

Maurice Ravel might have been approaching his own crossroads in the fall of 1929, just before pianist Paul Wittgenstein contacted him for a commission. We know, through hindsight, that he was nearing the end of …

The preface to the score of “La Valse” includes the following descriptive note: “Whirling clouds give glimpses, through rifts, of couples dancing. The clouds scatter, little by little. One sees an immense hall peopled with …

Le Tombeau de Couperin actually began before the war. Ravel had started the suite in 1914 with a dance, writing to Cipa Godebski, “I am transcribing a forlane by Couperin…” Later that year, Ravel wrote …

Mussorgsky composed his work titled “Pictures at an Exhibition” first as a composition for piano solo. Later it was orchestrated beautifully by Maurice Ravel. Quite often this work is performed in correctly in that the …

During World War I, French composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) wrote a six-movement suite for solo piano titled Le tombeau de Couperin. A “tombeau” (“tomb” in French) is a musical tribute to someone who has passed …