Description

When pianists think of Gaspard de la nuit, their hearts stop. Ravel’s masterpiece, as famous for its depiction of Aloysius Bertrand’s dark, hallucinatory poems as it is infamous for its stunning virtuosity, is like a realistic dream, a lucid world of darkness and terror, evoked through refinement and detail.

 The title Miroirs (Mirrors) suggests the reflections of things or objects. In this case the reflections that we see are those of night moths, birds, a boat on the ocean, a Spanish song with imitation of guitars and the sounding of bells in a valley. These pieces create an intense atmosphere and the mood each piece sets evokes the exact images that each title suggests.

 Carlo Grante’s masterful artistry vividly brings to life Ravel’s highly imagistic music.