# Colour, Dances



## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Four pentatonic-flavoured works written no more than 14 years apart, with a fair amount of ostinato and varied orchestration, stand against each other. Be wise and choose only one.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Four works I thought I would like and wanted to like but honestly feel rather lukewarm about. I'll go with Nocturnes because of Fêtes. It's one of those pieces I heard before getting seriously into classical.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Ma mère l'Oye would be my second choice, after Le Sacre, with Nocturnes third. I still get chills at the marvelous ending of Le jardin féerique. Ravel: this strange, cool, seemingly passionless man was a master of the musical orgasm-- quite an inner life, methinks.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I chose Ma Mere l'Oye. It's one of the first classical pieces I heard. I agree with Strange Magic's comments. An inner life, indeed!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

The Ravel is the only one I wouldn't consider. It's a fine piece, but not nearly on the level of the others. I would have chosen Daphnis instead.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

It is with great sadness that I must choose Debussy's Nocturnes over The Rite of Spring and the latter over the other two. I love all four works, but Nocturnes gives me goose bumps (though not Mother Goose bumps I presume) more than the others for whatever reason.


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

As much as I adore Debussy's _Nocturnes_, I chose Mahler's other Ninth symphony, _Das Lied von der Erde_. _The Rite of Spring_ is one of my favorites, as well, it would be my third choice.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

DiesIraeCX said:


> As much as I adore Debussy's _Nocturnes_, I chose Mahler's other Ninth symphony, _Das Lied von der Erde_. _The Rite of Spring_ is one of my favorites, as well, it would be my third choice.


This is my ranking as well.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

The best of the four works by the best of the four composers - Mahler.


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## Lyricus (Dec 11, 2015)

I think if I were to rank them, it'd be 1) Le Sacre du Printemps, 2) Nocturnes, 3) Das Lied von der Erde, and 4) Ma Mère l'Oye.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> The Ravel is the only one I wouldn't consider. It's a fine piece, but not nearly on the level of the others. I would have chosen Daphnis instead.


Daphnis doesn't qualify for the unspoken criteria of this poll.

I'm sure some would consider Das Lied a desperate cry from an obsolete dying romanticism or the Nocturnes a colossal bore or Stravisnky a joke and choose Ravel's clever and balanced elegance instead.

A sensitive ear may find Das Lied, Daphnis, Fêtes, and Stravinsky's three ballets to be severely overblown, and choose Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye detailed economy instead.

Another soul may identify with the 'naturally artifical' character of Ravel.

Somebody who thinks musicality and song are one and the same would go straight to Das Lied, as somebody moved by the poetry or attracted to unashamed expresivity. If musical development is core it sure is the best option.

This is only speculation of course, I can't read minds. not yet


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Since the poll says "Choose according to your temper", I will do that then.


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