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Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major


The Piano Concerto in G major was composed between 1929 and 1931 and stands as one of the final creative statements of Maurice Ravel. At the time, the composer was already suffering from serious health problems and did not appear as soloist at the premiere, though he conducted the orchestra. The concerto would become his penultimate completed work, a brilliant synthesis of elegance, rhythm, and colour.

Ravel famously claimed that the concerto was written “in the spirit of Mozart and Saint-Saëns,” emphasizing clarity, balance, and formal precision. Yet the musical language of the work reveals a far richer palette of influences. Echoes of Igor Stravinsky’s rhythmic vitality, the jazz idioms of  George Gershwin, and the composer’s deep connection to the Spanish folk traditions of the Basque Country all coexist within a refined classical framework.

Μovements:

Ι. Allergamente

The concerto opens without an orchestral introduction. The piano enters almost immediately, while the first thematic gesture—folk-like in character—is introduced by the piccolo and echoed by the trumpet. When the piano presents its own theme, the influence of jazz becomes apparent for the first time, an element that will permeate the entire work.

A third thematic idea follows, associated with the timbres of the saxophone and trumpet. The energetic development maintains the sharp rhythmic drive of the opening, while a brief cadenza-like episode for solo harp unfolds delicately in harmonics. The movement concludes with a striking piano cadenza, crowned by a deliberately dissonant descending scale that underscores Ravel’s modernist edge.



ΙΙ. Adagio assai

The finale, Presto, bursts forth with a sharp fanfare for tambourine and trumpet. A quirky, angular theme is introduced by the clarinet, while the piano provides sparkling, playful accompaniment. The prevailing mood is light and exuberant, at times evoking the world of the circus and reflecting Ravel’s fascination with jazz rhythm and colour.

As the movement unfolds, the music grows increasingly restless. Rapid piano figurations interact with strings and bassoon, driving the momentum forward. After a brief moment of restraint, the piano reasserts itself, leading into a sweeping scale that involves the entire orchestra. The concerto concludes with powerful, dissonant chords—brilliant, ironic, and unmistakably Ravel.


ΙΙΙ. Presto

The third part, Presto, begins with a fanfare for tambourine and trumpet. The strange, screeching first theme is presented by the clarinet, while the piano provides the joyful accompaniment. The atmosphere is generally light and happy, with a cheerfulness reminiscent of the music of the circus and reflecting the influence of jazz.Then the music is restless, while the piano passages are combined with the strings and the bassoon. 

Later the music is lowered and a quick return of the piano follows. An extensive scale where all the instruments are combined, leads to strong, dissonant chords that complete the work.


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