Piano Concerto in G major (Ravel)
The Piano Concerto in G major was composed by Maurice Ravel between 1929 and 1931 . The work consists of three movements : Allegraments , Adagio assai , and Presto. After his successful concert tour through America, Ravel originally wanted to premiere the work himself. However, health problems prevented him from doing so - due to preparatory exercises in Franz Liszt's and Frédéric Chopin's etudes , his hands suffered from signs of fatigue. Instead, the concert was premiered on January 14, 1932 by Ravel at the conductor's desk of the Orchester Lamoureux and Marguerite Long at the piano. Long was a pianist known for her interpretations of the works of Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy and had previously asked Ravel for a new work - in the end he even dedicated the score of the piano concerto to her. The first performance on the North American continent took place on the evening of April 22, 1932 simultaneously by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra in their respective parent houses.
During his American tour, Ravel became acquainted with the state-of-the-art jazz in Paris and the United States at the time and was extremely impressed. This influence also affects the concert, which is characterized by jazz harmonies and peculiarities.
Instrumentation
Ravel wrote the orchestra Instrumentation following steps: piccolo , flute , oboe , English horn , E flat, B- and A- clarinet , two bassoons , two horns in F, trumpet in C, trombone , timpani , triangle , snare drum , pool , large Drum , tam-tam , block of wood , whip , two harps , piano , 16 violins , 6 violas , 6 cellos , 4 double basses .
shape
Allegations
The first movement is opened with a single whip. It is followed by a mixture of the well-known Basque and Spanish sounds from Ravel's youth with the newly discovered jazz sound. Like many concertos, the opening movement is written in the usual sonata form, but with an extremely long exposition.
With a length of 106 bars, most of the musical ideas of the first movement are presented in the exposition. After the whip and the drum roll, which begins at the same time, the piano begins, which soon becomes a companion figure for the piccolo flute, which introduces the main theme. Soon the piano falls silent; the orchestra swells to full strength and gives the theme a new facet with each bar, until finally the piano slips into an eerie, dream-like musical repetition. Soon, however, the orchestra resumes with a blues- like figure, always alternating between major and minor. The second theme opens with a strong dissonance (a sharp and b) but quickly transitions into a rich, melodic form reminiscent of George Gershwin 's Rhapsody in Blue , which premiered eight years earlier .
After a quick piano chord progression, the second theme is developed further using many borrowings from the first theme. After a large number of increases, the music is transferred into a mystical passage in which the strings and the two harps dominate. After a short break, the passage continues, but is then interrupted by a variation of the blues figure on the first theme.
The recapitulation opens an alienated version of the first theme. Then a piano cadenza repeats the second theme. With the help of this elaborate work-up, the movement comes to an energetic conclusion, which consists of a coarse brass scale.
Adagio assai
In stark contrast to the previous movement, the second movement, written in the form of a bridge , is very calm, almost of Mozart 's clarity. Although it is seemingly effortless to play, Ravel himself said of the opening melody: “That flowing expression! How I revised it bar by bar! He almost drove me to the grave! "
The first theme is only introduced by the piano, with the right hand taking over the melody while the left hand accompanies, not dissimilar to the style of a Chopin's nocturne . After a while the orchestra sets in; Strings and woodwinds carry the melody smoothly into the second theme.
The second theme, introduced by the bassoons, is denser and more gripping than the first. It appears with great ease, makes use of dissonant harmonies and figures on the piano, and then just as easily transitions into a recapitulation of the first theme. A short coda brings the sentence to a gentle end.
Presto
The third movement in the shortened sonata form takes up the intensity of the first with its fast melodies and difficult passages. Since the premiere, the movement has served as an occasion for criticism.
The piano introduces the first theme, a quick chord progression, before being disturbed by dissonant heckling from the wood and brass players. It is still carried on, even if the heckling extends to the entire orchestra. After a large number of thematic modulations, the movement comes to the end, whereby it ends with the four chords with which it began.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jan Richards. "Movement 1: Allegraments". https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/Shared%20Documents/vtc/2008-09/music/irf08_49(2)/eng/NGFL_Ravel_movt_1_analysis.doc
- ↑ Jan Richards. "Movement 2: Adagio assai". https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/Shared%20Documents/vtc/2008-09/music/irf08_49(2)/eng/NGFL_Ravel_movt_2_analysis.doc
- ↑ Jan Richards. "Movement 3: Presto". https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/Shared%20Documents/vtc/2008-09/music/irf08_49(2)/eng/NGFL_Ravel_movt_3_analysis.doc