RAVEL: Music for two pianos
Jennifer Micaleff, Glen Inanga- Somm 025-66:30
Although the liner notes do not state it clearly, the only original piece that Ravel composed strictly for two pianos is Sites Auriculaires. Comprised of a ‘Habanera’ (which he would reuse in his Rhapsodie Espagnole) and a second movement entitled ‘Entre cloches’, this diptych was created in Paris in March 1898 and marked Ravel’s official debut. Ma mère l’Oye was written for piano before being orchestrated. It carries the inscription, "for four hands or for two pianos", and according to certain hagiographers, Ravel’s first thought was for two pianos. The other pieces on this disc, Introduction and Allegro, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Sheherazade and La Valse, are arrangements by the composer, like his Bolero, which is not included because of its length. When the composer leaves it up to his interpreters, there are strong reasons to prefer two pianos to quatre-mains: they provide much greater freedom of interpretation as well as a quasi-orchestral sonorous architecture. All of Ravel’s pieces in this program are thus ideal for a two-piano recital.
I first heard the young duo of Micaleff and Inanga in Montreal during the 2001 Festival for Duo-Piano. In a program strictly devoted to duo piano (whereas many duos combine this discipline with pieces for four hands), they demonstrated a strong cohesiveness, with a tight sense of rhythm and a shared intent fortified by an unfailing voluntarism.
In this recording we find the same implacable determination drawing its energy from the heart of an unshakable cohesiveness. The construction is airy, the phrasing breathes. Their deliberately analytical interpretation is compelling because of its crystalline clarity and its architectural breadth. It errs, on the other hand, by its lack of distinction and nobility (La Valse) and of irony. The bias in their reading is a direct descendant of the Kontarsky brothers. Ravel’s modernism is expressed magnificently but also amplified in comparison with the original style. A return to a more classic ingenuousness, connected to the world of childhood that Ravel cherished, would allow for more humanity and warmth. This is in no way to belittle the qualities of an interpretation that surpasses most of its competition.
The sound quality of this recording is exceptional: it is rare to hear a CD with such richness in its capturing of the sound, stereophonic effects, and dynamics.
VILLEMIN
Published in American Record Guide, Vol. 66, N. 1