Virtuosity and Sonority in Ravel's piano music - a practice-led investigation focusing upon the 'Lisztian' trace
Lead Research Organisation:
Birmingham City University
Department Name: ADM Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Abstract
This project will investigate the nature of French composer Maurice Ravel's (1875-1937) radical contribution to pianism. Combining insights from professional practice with traditional musicology, it will examine the underexplored interaction of Ravel's aesthetic with the pianistic heritage of the Grand Tradition stemming from Liszt.
The principal research question is: How does Ravel's musical language affect the use of virtuosity and sonority in the performance of his piano music? This leads to three sub-questions:
- What new challenges does Ravel pose for pianists in terms of technique, sonority and expression?
- How does Ravel's compositional approach shape the way his music is performed?
- How might pursuit of a Lisztian connection enhance our understanding of Ravel?
Ravel's works include some of the most technically demanding pieces of the piano repertoire within an aesthetic of French refinement and clarity. This practice-led project will provide the first investigation of its kind, examining purely pianistic problematics concerning the complex interaction of virtuosity, sonority and expression in Ravel's most demanding piano works. Looking beyond his immediate French contemporaries and forebears, it will place Ravel's music in the context of the Grand Tradition, notably Franz Liszt. The project will cover all of Ravel's piano works, but with a particular focus upon Gaspard de la Nuit, the two piano concerti and La Valse. The research will detail experimental interpretative approaches, disseminated through concert performances and a professional level recording drawing upon the concepts explored in the research will be an integral part of the resulting thesis.
The principal research question is: How does Ravel's musical language affect the use of virtuosity and sonority in the performance of his piano music? This leads to three sub-questions:
- What new challenges does Ravel pose for pianists in terms of technique, sonority and expression?
- How does Ravel's compositional approach shape the way his music is performed?
- How might pursuit of a Lisztian connection enhance our understanding of Ravel?
Ravel's works include some of the most technically demanding pieces of the piano repertoire within an aesthetic of French refinement and clarity. This practice-led project will provide the first investigation of its kind, examining purely pianistic problematics concerning the complex interaction of virtuosity, sonority and expression in Ravel's most demanding piano works. Looking beyond his immediate French contemporaries and forebears, it will place Ravel's music in the context of the Grand Tradition, notably Franz Liszt. The project will cover all of Ravel's piano works, but with a particular focus upon Gaspard de la Nuit, the two piano concerti and La Valse. The research will detail experimental interpretative approaches, disseminated through concert performances and a professional level recording drawing upon the concepts explored in the research will be an integral part of the resulting thesis.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Christopher Dingle (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Salome Chitaia (Student) |