Maurice Ravel 1875 – 1937, was a French Impressionist Composer, and a student of Gabriel Faure. Ravel was a brilliant pianist, and later in life he would write among many great works, including one of the hardest piano pieces in history, “Gaspard de la Nuit”.

I could speak over the tones and my emotional responses or the preciseness of each note in this piece, but I hope that upon listening these things will become obvious – or at least intuitively understood. I will say that I think because Ravel was such an incredible pianist he naturally pushed the instrument and sometimes, pianist composers’ skill will push their music out of the realm of non-piano players. In this piece however the two other instruments (Violin and Cello) function to keep him in place, they pull on each other and this creates a violent effect when the music shifts.

What I love most about Ravel’s music is that you become his listener, and he likes you. You are just as important as every note on the page and after building a rapport with you, his listener, he will proceed to take and carry you far away from where he found you and then, as if by the aid of some thrashing wind, you arrive home, safe.

Piano Trio in A-minor Opus 120 – Maurice Ravel