Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte ("Pavane for a Dead Princess") was originally composed for solo piano in 1899 but was later orchestrated in 1910, giving the piece a richer, more atmospheric quality. In the orchestral version, Ravel...

Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin Suite M.68a was originally composed as a piano suite between 1914 and 1917 and later transcribed for orchestra. The piece pays homage to the French Baroque composer François Couperin, blending Baroque dance forms...

REPRINT SERIES  Ravel's L'Aurore (The Dawn), composed in 1905, is a choral work for tenor, mixed chorus, and orchestra, originally created as part of his bid for the prestigious Prix de Rome. Set to a French text by Édouard Guinand, the...

Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole is a vibrant orchestral work composed in 1907–1908, showcasing his deep fascination with Spanish music and rhythms. Although Ravel was French, his Basque heritage greatly influenced his affinity for Spanish sounds, which...

Ravel's Shéhérazade, Ouverture de féerie is a fascinating early work that hints at the composer's later mastery of orchestral color and evocative storytelling. Written in 1898, this symphonic overture is inspired by the tales of the...

REPRINT SERIES L'enfant et les sortilèges: Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties (The Child and the Spells: A Lyric Fantasy in Two Parts) is an opera in one act, with music by Maurice Ravel to a libretto by Colette. It is Ravel's second opera, his...

Mussorgsky's inspiration for Pictures was the death of his dear friend, the architect and visual artist Victor Hartman. Having died at age 39, Hartman had not yet had the opportunity to realize any of his architectural visions, and Mussorgsky was angered...

Maurice Ravel's Boléro is one of the most iconic and mesmerizing works in the orchestral repertoire, celebrated for its hypnotic rhythm and gradual crescendo. Composed in 1928, the piece was originally written as a ballet commissioned by Russian...

This concerto was commissioned by the prominent Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm due to a wound sustained in World War I. The concerto negotiates several sections in various tempi and keys without pause. Towards the end of...

Tzigane was composed between 1922 and 1924 and is a virtuosic, gypsy-inflected piece for Violin and Orchestra. This work, dedicated to violinist Jelly d'Aranyi, derives from Ravel’s interest in the gypsies and in Hungarian culture. Set of Parts...