Maurice Ravel

The music of Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) captivates its audience primarily by its overwhelming sensuous attraction, its unusually fascinating harmonies and its exquisite wealth of tonal colour. The subtlety of his compositions makes it easy to forget that Ravel was also a master of musical construction who had the gift of developing his compositions from only a few basic elements. The abstract, aesthetic play of styles, themes and genres was an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Alongside these compositions, Ravel also adapted many of his own and other composers’ works, creating versions which were equally proficient, whether for piano or for a large symphony orchestra.

Ravel was born in 1875 in Ciboure, in the extreme south-west corner of France, and grew up in Paris. He first focused his musical talent on a career as a pianist and studied piano at the Conservatory in Paris from 1891 to 1895, followed by studies of composition from 1898 to 1900. The fact that Ravel did not earn a degree in either subject emphasises his critical and even contemptuous attitude to academic norms. Alongside his studies, Ravel was also greatly influenced by the company of non-conformist musicians such as Emmanuel Chabrier and Erik Satie, by his preoccupation with Russian music, and by his enthusiasm for the literature of Joris-Karl Huysmans and the painting of Édouard Manet. He was also inspired by discussions with the artists of the Les Apaches group. In 1898, Ravel began his public career with works such as the “Pavane pour une infante défunte”, at first experiencing mixed successes and, for a long time, receiving only fluctuating recognition. His reputation continued to spread and grow, both at home and beyond the French borders, but his music often shocked his audience and provoked scandals.

The years of the First World War were decisive for Ravel in several respects. Senseless wartime death, personified in the deaths of several friends, his own war experiences and, finally, in the traumatic death of his mother, plunged Ravel into a deep crisis in 1917. Only with “La Valse” in 1920 did he find his way back to composing. His status in musical circles had now changed radically. He was proudly seen as a leading figure in France, and he undertook extended concert tours throughout Europe and America. At the same time, he began to suffer from physical ailments, which were exacerbated after a car accident in 1932 and eventually made him unable to leave his home. Ravel died in Paris in 1937.