EMMANUEL PAHUD : JACKY TERRASSON — Into The Blue (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Emmanuel Pahud is an award-winning classical flutist who's also Principal Flute for the Berlin Philharmonic. Jacky Terrasson is an award-winning jazz pianist who's a Principal Original on the scene; uniquely playful and inventive, it's always interesting to see what he comes up with next. This time he rearranges 14 classical melodies in a jazz context. More than half are short tracks, colorful samples from jazz's favorite French Impressionists (Ravel, Faure, and Debussy)to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" (all four) and pieces by Schumann, Mozart, Paganini, Rimsky-Korsakov "Flight of the Bumblebee," Saint-Saëns, and jazz pianist Claude Bolling, who in the 70s teamed up with legendary flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal to record their own crossover tracks. Although he also respects the basic character of the music, Terrasson is more adventurous. For example, the much-beloved "Pavane" (Ravel) is still serene, but with interludes of communal passion and trio jazz, as fine bassist Sean Smith and drummer Ali Jackson provide subtle, quickly reactive support. "Bolero" is an exciting journey which obliterates all memory of the plodding and repetitious original; it features a happy Latin groove that dances under the melody, then segues seamlessly into funk and Fender Rhodes. If Pahud's improvisations are rather basic, his tone is beautiful and he swings, as does the bass/drum section, after which the whole thing goes Jamaican -- before returning to Latin. It sounds like a mishmosh in print, but it works. So does the beautiful "Apres un Reve," which conjures the countryside of southern France where the CD was recorded, and "Jimbo's Lullaby," which originally described a lumbering elephant, but is meditative and nearly Oriental here. On "Marche Turque," Mozart meets reggae and humor. In fact, there's wit throughout this CD, as well as imagination and top-level playing. Both classical and jazz fans will find much to enjoy. Judith Schlesinger   Tracklist & Credits :

RACHMANINOV · LUTOSLAWSKI · RAVEL : Music for Two Piano (Martha Argerich · Nelson Freire) (1982) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 

MAURICE RAVEL : The Complete Works (2020) 21CD | MONO | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

CD1-5 Piano Woks and Transcriptions for Piano, Piano Four Hands, Transcriptions by Ravel.  
 CD6-7 Chamber Music
CD8-11 Orchestral Works
   CD12 Orchestrations by Ravel of Other Composers
CD13-15 Songs
CD15-17 Choral Works, Opera and Lyric Works
CD17-21 Bonus and Historic Recordings
All Tracks

CLARA HASKIL - Philips Recordings 1951-1960 Concertos & Sonatas (Beethoven, Chopin, Falla, Ravel, Scarlatti, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann) (2007) 7CD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Romanian pianist Clara Haskil began her career as a child prodigy at the Bucharest Conservatory under Richard Robert at age 7, making her debut at the age of 10. Haskil ultimately graduated from Alfred Cortot's class at the Paris Conservatoire at 15 with the Prémier Prix to her credit. By the age of 18, however, Haskil was forced to endure the first of many physical setbacks that would hold back her career, in this case an attack of meningitis that kept her in a body cast for four years. Haskil did recover, making her New York debut in 1924 and her London debut in 1926. Although it was late in her career that her name was inextricably linked with the Mozart piano concerti, at this stage Haskil was associated with Romantic literature. Her performances of the Schumann concerto in Philadelphia with Leopold Stokowski were widely praised.

With the outbreak of war, Haskil was trapped in occupied Paris, but was able to escape to Marseilles. There she survived a surreptitious surgical procedure to remove a tumor from her optic nerve, and was then smuggled to Vevey, Switzerland, where Haskil settled for the rest of her days. With war's end she resumed her career yet again, and thereafter enjoyed her greatest successes with a busy concert and recording schedule that took her around the world. Despite her amazing stamina, she proved unable to survive a fall she suffered in a Paris railway station in 1960, and died one month short of her 66th birthday.

With Haskil, musicianship came first and technical matters were irrelevant; she had enormous hands and could play a 12th in her left hand with a fingering of 2-5. Haskil reputedly had an amazing memory, and could accurately play back a piece of music she'd heard only once, even after the passage of several years, without ever having seen the score. The Clara Haskil Prize, awarded once every two years in Vevey, Switzerland, was established in 1962 as a memorial to the pianist. by Uncle Dave Lewis
Tracklist :
CD 1    Domenico Scarlatti (1685 - 1757) Sonata In E Flat Major K.193 - Sonata In B Minor, K.87 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) Nine Variations In D, K.573 On A Minuet By J.P. Duport - Piano Sonata No.10 In C Major, K.330 - Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937) Sonatine, M. 40 For Piano - Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) Bunte Blätter, Op.99 -
CD 2    Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - Waldszenen, Op.82 - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Piano Sonata No. 17 In D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest" - Piano Sonata No. 18 In E Flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3 -"The Hunt"
CD 3    Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) Piano Sonata No. 21 In B-Flat Major, D. 960 - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Piano Sonata No. 17 In D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest" - Piano Sonata No. 18 In E Flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3 -"The Hunt"
CD 4    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) Piano Concerto No. 9 In E Flat Major, K.271 - "Jeunehomme" - Piano Concerto No. 20 In D Minor, K. 466
CD 5    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) Piano Concerto No. 20 In D Minor, K. 466 - Piano Concerto No.24 In C Minor, K.491 - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37
CD 6    Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) Piano Concerto No. 23 In A Major, K.488 - Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 54
CD 7    Manuel de Falla Matheu (1876 - 1946) Noches En Los Jardines de España - Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21

RAVEL : Gaspard de la Nuit; PROKOFIEV : Piano Sonata No. 6 (Ivo Pogorelich) (1983) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

RAVEL : Maderna conducts Ravel (1992) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

All tracks & credits

RAVEL : The Complete Solo Piano Music (Angela Hewitt) (2000) 2xCD / Mp3

RAVEL : Orchestral Works; Piano Concertos; L'Enfant et les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade (Dutoit-Rogé) (2005) 4xCD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

For listeners who prefer their Ravel lushly textured, luminously colored, and luxuriantly impressionistic, this four-disc set of his orchestral music performed by Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal will be just the thing. Recorded between 1981 and 1995 in warmly opulent Decca sound and including all the canonical works plus the two piano concerts and the opera L'Enfant et les sortiléges, Dutoit's approach to Ravel is decidedly sensual, even tactile. One can feel the excitement in the closing "Dance générale" of Daphnis et Chloé, sense the energy in La Valse, smell the sea in Une barque sur l'océan, and touch the dancer's flushed skin in Boléro. This is not to say that details are lost in Dutoit's performances -- with the superlative playing of the Montreal orchestra, one can assuredly hear everything in the scores. Nor is this to say that Dutoit neglects the music's clear shapes and lucid forms -- with a decisive beat and a clean technique, Dutoit's interpretations are models of clarity. But it is assuredly to assert that, for sheer aural beauty, these recordings cannot be beat. With the very virtuosic and very French playing of Pascal Rogé in the two piano concertos plus very characterful singing in L'Enfant, this set will be mandatory listening for all those who love Ravel. by James Leonard 

All tracks & credits 

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Ravel's Bolero (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ravel: Bolero continues Jacques Loussier's series of jazz-inspired interpretations of classical music. His version of "Bolero" emphasizes the hypnotic, rhythmic structure of the work, and highlights his inspired, energetic playing. by Heather Phares
Tracklist:
1     Ravel's Boléro 17:10
    Arranged By – Jacques Loussier
    Nympheás
2     I. Allegro 6:06
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
3     II. Andante 5:41
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
4     III. Vivace 5:23
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
5     IV. Largo 5:57
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
6     V. Presto 3:50
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
7     VI. Cantabile 3:03
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
8     VII. Prestissimo 4:09
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
Credits:
Bass – Benoît Dunoyer de Segonzac
Drums – André Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier

MARTHA ARGERICH - Martha Argerich Edition : Solos & Duos (2001) 6CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

MARTHA ARGERICH - Martha Argerich Collection : Solo Works & Works for Piano Duo (1983) 4CD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

MARTHA ARGERICH - Martha Argerich Collection : Concertos (1997) 4CD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

RAVEL : Music for Two Pianos (1990) Mp3

MAURICE RAVEL : The Complete Solo Piano Music (2011) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

It is tempting to overlook the other works on pianist Steven Osborne's album in order to bestow ecstatic praise on La valse, but that would be like skipping the various courses of a feast and heading straight for dessert. Osborne shows off his gift for and love of the great French composer's work in this complete set of pieces written for solo piano. In the enjoyable Miroirs, "Noctuelles" is blooming and rapid in Osborne's lovely interpretation, and "Alborado del gracioso" is stunning for its phrasing and perfect rhythm, even when Osborne restrikes the same key at a rapid-fire pace. Unfortunately, both CDs, especially the first, suffer from a weak recording quality that renders the softest passages inaudible. Sometimes, Osborne's slower or piano dynamic passages are ever so slightly static. The second CD is possibly more interesting than the first, as the compositions are more varied and Osborne's athletic playing and fiery passion are more evident here. In Le tombeau de Couperin it is a delight to hear each beautiful trill rolling off his fingers in "Forlane" (which has foreshadowings of La valse), the lively contrasts in the famous "Rigaudon," or the feeling and complexity of the "Toccata." Ravel's famed tone color is brought to life in "Jeux d'eau," and a grand, balletic sweep can be relished in the brief "À la manière de Borodin." When Osborne plays full out, it is truly magnificent. Valses nobles et sentimentales whet the listener's appetite for the main waltz to come. One can hear the antecedents to La valse, such as in "Modéré--Très franc," which moves with ease and a music box-like inner motion (without which the piece would fall apart); "Assez animé," which sends the listener into rapture; and the grand crescendo of "Moins vif" that is played with such vigor that Osborne must be using his whole body and soul. One wonders why La valse was not programmed after Valses nobles et sentimentales, to save the best for last. The piece threatens to send the listener into ecstasy. The menacing low notes and rubato in the beginning show Osborne's tremendous control of tension in the line. The rich music is very difficult to play, yet Osborne has a superb sense of musicality. He fleshes out Ravel's orchestration, and he knows how to create maximum drama through dynamics and pedaling. The crescendo-allargando is astounding, as is the ending accelerando, which is frenetic by degrees; the pianist's urgency is palpable.  by V. Vasan 

MAURICE RAVEL [1875-1937]

 The Complete Solo Piano Music [Steven Osborne]

(2011) Hyperion / 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

O Púbis da Rosa

RAVEL - Piano Concertos, FAURÉ - Fantaisie, FRANCK - Symphonic Variations [Alicia de Larrocha] FLAC

 1. Ravel Piano Concerto In G: I - Allegramente 8:35
Joseph Maurice Ravel

2. Ravel Piano Concerto In G: II - Adagio Assai 10:07

3. Ravel Piano Concerto In G: III - Presto 4:14

4. Ravel Piano Concerto For The Left Hand 18:52
Joseph Maurice Ravel

5. Faure: Fantaisie 14:41
Gabriel Fauré

6. Franck: Symphonic Variations 16:55
Franck, César

RAVEL- Piano Concertos, 

FAURE - Fantaisie, 

FRANCK - Symphonic Variations

[Alicia de Larrocha-Frühbeck]

1987 DECCA / FLAC / scans

O Púbis da Rosa