The back cover of this reissue says, “The complete works of Ravel by
Jacques Rouvier is among the best achievements in the history of French
recordings, and is one of the greatest interpretations of a pianist ever.”
That’s a bold claim to make. Does it hold up? Do these recordings from the
1970s stand as one of the greatest interpretations ever?
Well, no. For starters, this is not the “complete piano music”. Ravel had
published his arrangement of a suite from
Daphnis et Chloé, but
nobody thought to record it until very recently.
La Valse can be
performed with one or two pianists, but is not here. There are also a couple
of tiny one-minute sketches, recorded by pianists like Alexandre Tharaud and
Florian Uhlig. Don’t blame Rouvier, however, for omitting
La
Parade; that’s a more recent discovery from the composer’s student
years.
That all is okay. Only one truly “complete” cycle exists (Uhlig’s);
artistry is more important. Rouvier’s interpretations are not all
consistent. His style is, for the most part, straightforward, nostalgia-free
and with a preference for boldness over delicacy. The
Sonatine’s
finale is a virtuoso whirlwind; the first two movements of
Miroirs
are speedy and direct; “Scarbo” is a blistering performance, one of the
greats. Ravel did not like the slow, over-emotional way that many performers
romanticized the
Pavane; Ravel would approve of Rouvier here.
On the other hand, Rouvier slows down for the first two movements of
Gaspard, very successfully. “Le Gibet” is especially haunting. His
performance is similar in style to the recent one by Steven Osborne.
Le
Tombeau de Couperin is less of a hit. He has trouble with the first
movement’s fiendish rhythms and hectic pace. Some of the middle portions,
meanwhile, lose momentum, and
Le Tombeau as a whole lacks the
classical precision and polish of Abbey Simon or Michael Endres. Indeed,
quite often in the set, Jacques Rouvier chooses an approach similar to Abbey
Simon’s, and then leaves out a tiny extra bit of colour or virtuosity.
There’s a very happy bonus in the two-piano suite from
Mother
Goose, where Rouvier partners with Theodore Paraskivesco. There may be
no name in classical music history more fun to say over and over again than
“Paraskivesco”. Rouvier also adds a charming
Habanera. The earlier
Calliope release of this set, which hit the market about a decade ago, also
contained works by Debussy, but those have been removed.
The recordings are newly re-mastered from original sessions in 1974-5. The
piano sounds a little bright, and there are funny inconsistencies in
acoustic: the
Habanera’s two hands sound like two different pianos,
while other performances are in a cleaner studio space. While Jacques
Rouvier’s Ravel may not be “one of the greatest interpretations of a pianist
ever”, it is a good set, frequently excellent. If you’re interested, try to
find the older release on Calliope, with the Debussy bonus. It is not,
however, re-mastered. This is not my first choice for Ravel’s piano music,
but if you love the music as much as I do, and collect as many recordings as
I do, you’ll find much to appreciate here.
Brian Reinhart
Contents List
CD 1 [68:50]
Ma Mère l’Oye [14:22]
Habanera [2:34]
Gaspard de la nuit [23:13]
Pavane pour une infante défunte [5:47]
Jeux d’eau [5:51]
Menuet sur le nom de Haydn [1:45]
Valses nobles et sentimentales [15:18]
CD 2 [73:48]
Miroirs [26:48]
Sonatine [11:16]
Le Tombeau de Couperin [25:09]
Prélude (1913) [1:20]
A la manière de Borodine [1:33]
A la manière de Chabrier [1:55]
Menuet antique [5:48]
