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ee “ aoe % aK ca pate Bie Bsa a ‘ a AO SR ete oN ee as mas se ARC Es a Sane: os os Ms oS oS oe ee oo Sean Cees à oo Rene Men A x Ne ee se . See es ae oS es ee ee à se is Ss Ho see Sos Produced by Thomas Z. Shepard M 30651 | Columbia MASTERWORKS Side 1 enchanting country, but the triumphs are fatiguing. Be- performance of Miroirs was given in January 1906 by Ricardo Viñes, a fellow Apache. Of the set, “Alborada THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA sides, I am dying of hunger.” del Gracioso” alone was received with enthusiasm by its The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus Ravel wrote “Pavane pour une infante défunte” in otherwise bewildered audience. With its impassioned Margaret Hillis, Director 1899, ten years after he had entered the Paris Conserva- effects, repeated notes and DAPHNIS AND CHLOE SUITE NO. 2 (16:20) toire. His choice of the pavane (a stately 16th-century rhythms, Spanish guitar Spanish court dance) as a model is an early indication of numerous glissandos, “Alborada del Gracioso,” has be- Lever du jour Ravel’s classicism. Originally a piano solo, it was first come a favorite virtuoso showpiece both in the original Pantomime performed publicly in 1902 by his longtime friend, piano version and in its orchestral transcription. Danse générale Ricardo Vifies. Not until 1910, however, did Ravel Suite No. 2 from “Daphnis et Chloé” is made up of PAVANE FOR A DEAD PRINCESS (em) (6:15) score the work for small orchestra. Ravel himself stated the music from the third, and final, scene of the ballet that he had chosen the title simply because he liked the that Ravel wrote for the 1912 Paris season of Sergei Side 2 sound of the words. He is quoted as having said to an Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. Beset from the beginning by THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA interpretation class-of young students, “Do not attach numerous problems, the ballet had its premiere on June RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE (15:03) to the title any more importance than it has. Do not 8, 1912, under the direction of Pierre Monteux. Ravel’s Prélude à la nuit dramatize it. It is not a funeral lament for a dead child, orchestration (which included a chorus singing wordless Malagueña but rather an evocation of the pavane which could have sounds) made difficult musical demands on the individual Habanera been danced by such a little princess as painted by Velaz- players—demands that are more adequately met by a Feria quez at the Spanish court.” And to a young pianist who symphony orchestra than by a theater pit orchestra. For this reason, “Daphnis et Chloé” has become better known ALBORADA DEL GRACIOSO (Mn) (7:35) had made the mistake of taking too seriously the slow as a concert piece rather than as a ballet. Ravel himself Engineering: Fred Plaut, Edward T. Graham, Stan Weiss tempo marking, Lent, Ravel quipped, “The next time remember that I have written a pavane for a deceased described. the work as “a choreographic symphony in Shortly after Maurice Ravel was born, on March 7, 1875, princess and not a deceased pavane for a princess.” three parts.” his family moved from the Basque village of Ciboure, Ravel’s first important orchestral composition, “Rap- The ballet is based on a pastoral poem by the ancient near the Spanish border, to Montmartre, a district of sodie Espagnole,” was written in August 1907. First per- Greek poet Longus. Two lovers, devotees of the god Pan, Paris where the painters Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and formed in March 1908, at the Colonne Concerts in Paris, are parted by pirates and then reunited by the god be- cause of Chloé’s resemblance to his own love, Syrinx. Pissaro all had their studios. Here, in 1874, Monet’s it received a cool reception from the boxes and main floor The final scene of the ballet depicts a sylvan glade slowly “L’Impression” had been exhibited for the first time—a but elicited an excited response from the upper hall. painting that subsequently lent its name to a new school Although Ravel’s brilliant orchestration and distinctive coming to life (Lever du jour) as Daphnis and Chloé are of art and, eventually, to a new school of composition, sound were present even in this early composition, it was returned to each other. They dance the story of Pan and as well. It was in this fertile environment that Ravel undoubtedly the work’s Spanish flavor that gained it a Syrinx (Pantomime) and, finally, there is general rejoic- began to study music and, at the age of fourteen, to pass lasting popularity. The first movement, “Prélude a la ing among the nymphs and young men (Danse général) in celebration of the great love of Daphnis and Chloe. his entrance examinations to the Paris Conservatoire, nuit,” is marked by a descending figure first heard in the where he was to remain for some sixteen years. muted violins and violas and then repeated in the other Shortly before his death of a rare brain disease, on During this time, he was principally influenced by sections of the orchestra. At the first Colonne Concert, December 28, 1937, Ravel lamented, “I am not one of All the great ones produced enor- three composers: Emannuel Chabrier, Erik Satie, and the second movement, ““Malaguefia,” was such a success the great composers. mously. But I have written relatively little, and with a Gabriel Fauré, his last teacher at the Conservatory. Ravel, with the gallery that it had to be repeated. The following the philosophy of Massenet that “to know “Habanera” is -an orchestration of the first section of a great deal of hardship.” It is this very “hardship,” how- ever, this striving for perfection and fear of overstate- one’s art, one must learn the art of others,” constantly work for two pianos, the Sites auriculaires, that Ravel caused his works to become staples of the studied the works of Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, and the had initially composed in 1895. The final movement, ment that has those of many Russian composers, as well as counterpoint and fugue. “Feria,” surpasses all the others in orchestral brilliance. concert stage in proportions far exceeding for the basic class- The color and bustle of a Spanish marketplace is musi- more prolific composers. This is, perhaps, a partial explanation —Gerald Anders icism that pervades Ravel’s music, classicism that is ap- cally dramatized as the movement propulsively drives to parent not only in the forms he used but also in the a close. Library of Congress catalog card number 77-752137 applies to M 30651. clarity of texture and line and in the restraint and propor- “Alborada del Gracioso” is the fourth of five piano tion of his works. pieces, entitled Miroirs, that Ravel wrote in 1905. He Other albums by Pierre Boulez: A fastidious man, Ravel was something of a dandy later orchestrated this and one other of the set, which he Three Nocturnes; Printemps; Premiere Rapsodie (The New Phil- of his new Harmonia Orchestra): 6 0e ee ae es M 30483 with a penchant for the latest styles. Although he toured said had been composed as a demonstration Images: Danses sacrée et profane (The Cleveland Orchestra) America in 1928 with great enthusiasm and success, he harmonic evolution and as an experiment in writing ... MS 7362 agreed to do so only after he had been assured of a con- music that would sound improvised. Each of the pieces La Mer; L’Apres-midi d’un faune; Jeux (The New Philharmonia Crea eee a eye hae eo ae = MS 7361 tinuing supply of his favorite French wines and ciga- in Miroirs was dedicated to a member of the Apaches, a “Pelléas et Mélisande” (Elisabeth Soederstroem; George Shirley; rettes. After several months of travel, the sophisticated group of avant-garde poets, painters, and musicians of Donald McIntyre; The Royal Opera Chorus; The Orchestra of Parisian wrote home, “I am seeing magnificent cities, which Ravel was probably the most famous. The first the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) ............ M3 30119 “‘Masterworks,’’ Marcas Reg. Printed in U.S.A. Cover photo: Don Hunstein Manufactured by Columbia Records/CBS, Inc./51 W. 52 Street, New York, N.Y./® ‘’Columbia,”’ S was! ie R UN we * 47 ey 14 fs 107) an \ en © A At er ©, MAR CAS RE (3) NS [= £ — 7 .

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