A performance of Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, M. 83 is on the horizon
by the end of the month and that’s reason enough to put this jazz influenced
piano concerto in heavy rotation once again. The cracking whip at the start of
this piece always bring a smile to my face (when done right).
This piece was performed most recently by pianist
Monique Duphil at the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s season opener
that I sadly missed. Now, the Manila Symphony Orchestra is giving me another
chance to have a go with this at their upcoming season finale concert with Victor
Asuncion as the featured soloist.
The recording that I’m putting
for a spin in preparation for the upcoming concert is Yuja Wang’s album of the two
Ravel Piano Concertos with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich under the baton of Lionel
Bringuier. These pair of concertos (the other being the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major, M .82) couldn’t be more
different. But it’s worth hearing them one after the other to grasp how great
Ravel’s orchestration is and to explore fully the light and shade and the range
of emotions and moods in these two works.
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