大象传媒

Donald Macleod looks at Ravel鈥檚 relationship with Paris, where image means everything.

Maurice Ravel is one of France鈥檚 most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid sound worlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel鈥檚 life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.

Today, Ravel鈥檚 youthful escapades and many addresses in Paris, a city which he loved but didn鈥檛 always love him back. We鈥檒l join the aspiring composer as he tries to make his mark on the exclusive salon circuit, spends too many hours in front of the mirror, forms a secret society, and becomes the centre of a musical scandal.

D鈥橝nne jouant de l鈥檈spinette
Anne Sofie von Otter, soprano
Bengt Forsberg, piano

Jeux d鈥檈au
Martha Argerich, piano

String Quartet (1st and 2nd movements)
Quatuor Eb猫ne

Miroirs (III. Une barque sur l鈥榦c茅an; V. Vall茅e des cloches)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet
Skaila Kanga, harp
Philippa Davies, flute
Michael Collins, clarinet
Nash Ensemble

Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker