Composer: Manuel de Falla, Maurice Ravel
Performer: Alexandre Tharaud
Orchestra: Orchestre National de France
Conductor: Louis Langrée
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Erato
Catalogue: 5419766071
Release: 2023
Size: 0.98 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
01. I. Allegramente
02. II. Adagio assai
03. III. Presto
Ravel: Piano Concerto in D major (for the left hand)
04. I. Lento
05. II. Allegro
06. III. Tempo I
Falla: Noches en los jardines de España
07. I. En el Generalife
08. II. Danza Lejana
09. III. En los jardines de la Sierra de Córdoba
The music of Ravel is especially close to Alexandre Tharaud’s heart. Now, in partnership with the Orchestre National de France and conductor Louis Langrée, he has recorded both the composer’s piano concertos, pairing them with Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), Manuel de Falla’s sumptuous work for piano and orchestra. “Ravel’s Concerto in G major is fresh and Mozartian in its colours, while his Concerto for the Left Hand is haunted by dark shades and suppressed fears,” says Tharaud. Both concertos were premiered in 1932. “Characteristically for Ravel, they are simultaneously unique and alike. They share meticulous craftsmanship and jazzy touches, and both evoke little automata and the ghosts of war.” The cross-currents of French and Spanish culture, so evident in Ravel’s aesthetic, flow through Falla’s concerto-like piece too. The Andalusian composer lived for a time in Paris and became friendly with Ravel. “The solo piano in Noches en los jardines de España plays a different role from the piano in the Ravel concertos,” continues Tharaud. “It blends in more closely with the orchestra, though the works share a Romantic spirit and a poignant sense of nostalgia.”