# Ravel's Piano Trio in A Minor



## juliante

I have just discovered Ravel’s piano trio in A Minor. What a wonderful piece of chamber music! 

For me it’s the ideal balance – hugely engaging 20 century harmonic and textural innovations, whilst remaining heartfelt and sensual in its sonorities and satisfyingly structured, for my fairly conservative ears. I LOVE IT! Can’t believe how long it took me to getting round to listening to it. 

Anyway – I need to own several copies of this piece! I have been listening to Beaux Arts on line– any other recommendations? 

:tiphat:


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

I remember liking some of the older recordings back when I used to listen it:


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## Quartetfore

One of the very greatest of the genre. I have several recordings, but the on I turn to most is the 1995 RCA recording with Andre Previn. The sound has held up, and what I think is very important is the balance between the players. This can be a problem in recording Piano Trios.


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## tdc

One of my favorite pieces of music. I watched the movie _Birdman_ last weekend and was pleased to hear a couple of Ravel pieces in the soundtrack including the Passacaille from the Piano Trio.

I'm a fan of the Beaux Arts version too, and this may be sacrilege to some but this Tortelier orchestration of the work is one of my favorite versions:


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## Brahmsian Colors

I too like the Tortelier recording tdc mentions above. Mine is in the vinyl format. Also favor the Philips lp version with the Beaux Arts Trio.


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## Pugg

I recently bought this one,










Frank Braley, Gautier Capucon, Renaud Capucon

The Beaux Arts remains my favourite but this one is just behind it.


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## juliante

Gaspard de la Nuit said:


> I remember liking some of the older recordings back when I used to listen it:


Did you get bored of it?


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

juliante said:


> Did you get bored of it?


I get bored of almost everything after a long enough time...


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## Mal

Why not try other "20 century harmonic and textural innovations, whilst remaining heartfelt and sensual in its sonorities and satisfyingly structured, for my fairly conservative ears." I've just listened to Fauré's Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor and Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor Played by the Schubert Ensemble of London, and your description fits them (although the latter is late 19th century.... very innovative for its time...), and they sound similar to Ravel. The disk is a BBC magazine disk, in great sound, that you can buy second hand on Amazon UK for a pittance, but there may be better out there (E.g., Richter/Borodin Quartet in the Franck...)


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## Triplets

I just love the slow movement of this work


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## juliante

Mal said:


> Why not try other "20 century harmonic and textural innovations, whilst remaining heartfelt and sensual in its sonorities and satisfyingly structured, for my fairly conservative ears." I've just listened to Fauré's Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor and Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor Played by the Schubert Ensemble of London, and your description fits them (although the latter is late 19th century.... very innovative for its time...), and they sound similar to Ravel. The disk is a BBC magazine disk, in great sound, that you can buy second hand on Amazon UK for a pittance, but there may be better out there (E.g., Richter/Borodin Quartet in the Franck...)


Thanks for your astute recommendation- loving the faure. Particularly that first movement.


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## Melvin

Well put indeed OP! And great recording recommendations thanks everybody!

I remember an impression I had upon first hearing this. As a fan of piano trio genre and having heard thoroughly all of the preceding greats (beethoven, brahms, etc, debussy)... but when I first heard the Ravel I had the feeling that this one broke so much ground and opened up 1000 new doors for the genre in the upcoming 20th c. Aside from the genius and exuberance of the melodies, the perfect thematic constructions, and the achievement of 4 unique movements without a weak-link, *above all I personally think that it is the range of sonorities achieved in this work that are most astonishing and impressive, and seem to defy what should be possible for a piano trio,* ...and should be a textbook for p. trio writing techniques. But upon a bit of exploration, I was a little disappointed, I don't think this one actually truly been surpassed. It's truly a watermark for the genre.

(Please pm me if you think you know any other piano trios written after this one that you would consider of similar greatness, I am an avid P. trio collector and would love to be enlightened with new discoveries in this genre.)


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## Quartetfore

The Shostakovich #2 is a great work, and perhaps the best of the second half of the 20th. century


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## Mandryka

juliante said:


> I
> Anyway - I need to own several copies of this piece! I have been listening to Beaux Arts on line- any other recommendations?
> 
> :tiphat:


 Richter/Kagan/Guttman (I find this very affecting)

More conventional than Richter

Oistrakh Trio
The one with Jamie Laredo

And maybe a notch below, you'll have to decide for yourself

Gieseking/Taschner/Hoelscher
The one with Menuhin


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## Guest

Triplets said:


> I just love the slow movement of this work


It's one of the most glorious things ever composed, IMO. In fact, Ravel is wonderful right across the genres. The only two things of his I dislike are "Bolero" and "La Valse".


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## KenOC

Quartetfore said:


> The Shostakovich #2 is a great work, and perhaps the best of the second half of the 20th. century


First half, surely. ...................................


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## Quartetfore

KenOC said:


> First half, surely. ...................................


Right you are, it dates from 1944


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## Dirge

I second the Kagan, Gutman & Richter [Live Classics '83] recommendation for the Piano Trio by Ravel. The playing is a bit weightier/meatier than is usual in Ravel-not entirely unexpected from three heavyweight Russian musicians-and the group conjurs up the more atmospheric music (most notably the opening of the final movement) with patient vividness and a touch of magic that's missing from other accounts that I've heard.




 (Piano Trio)

For something decidedly more Gallic in character, the recording by Kantorow, Muller & Rouvier [Erato '73, _not to be confused with the later Denon recording by the same team_] is a good bet, and it's coupled with the Sonata for violin & piano and a superb account of the Sonata for violin & cello (an austerely compelling tribute to Debussy). The Erato album has been released both as a straight classical release and as the soundtrack to the movie _En Cœur en Hiver_.




 (Piano Trio)




 (Sonata for violin & cello)


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## juliante

Melvin said:


> Well put indeed OP! And great recording recommendations thanks everybody!
> 
> I remember an impression I had upon first hearing this. As a fan of piano trio genre and having heard thoroughly all of the preceding greats (beethoven, brahms, etc, debussy)... but when I first heard the Ravel I had the feeling that this one broke so much ground and opened up 1000 new doors for the genre in the upcoming 20th c. Aside from the genius and exuberance of the melodies, the perfect thematic constructions, and the achievement of 4 unique movements without a weak-link, *above all I personally think that it is the range of sonorities achieved in this work that are most astonishing and impressive, and seem to defy what should be possible for a piano trio,* ...and should be a textbook for p. trio writing techniques. But upon a bit of exploration, I was a little disappointed, I don't think this one actually truly been surpassed. It's truly a watermark for the genre.
> 
> (Please pm me if you think you know any other piano trios written after this one that you would consider of similar greatness, I am an avid P. trio collector and would love to be enlightened with new discoveries in this genre.)


Reminds me of my early CM listening days. Literally the first piece I discovered was Death and The Maiden. I thought there would be loads as good as that! (This is not a catalyst for discussion though - I love many many pieces from Haydn onwards to Shostakovich now...it's just that I rather wished Schubert 14 had not been my first SQ piece in a way.)


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## Nocture In Blue

My favourite recording of the piece is probably the one with Yehudi Menuhin, Louis Kentner & Gaspar Cassadó. 
I think it's one of Ravel's greatest achievements. It's enchanting.


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## Guest

Here's another brilliant version, which I really like. (However, I generally like less vibrato in the string playing and this is a feature of more recent performances.)


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## tdc

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Here's another brilliant version, which I really like. (However, I generally like less vibrato in the string playing and this is a feature of more recent performances.)


Thank you for posting this, I've found the version I was looking for! I happened to imprint on this work on an orchestral version conducted by Tortelier I posted earlier in this thread. Since then I haven't found another version that phrases things quite the same way as in that one until now. Actually I'm fairly certain that Tortelier himself must have imprinted on this (or just preferred) this version you've posted as they are performed (phrased) so similar.

For me Heifetz, Rubinstein and Piatigorsky are names of the old school that I haven't listened to as much (partially because I have a strong focus on Baroque and Modern repertoire) but that recording just made me a fan.


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## John Zito

This is a wonderful lecture, and it got me re-listening to the Ravel Trio a lot this year:






I've been enjoying the Onyx recording with Pascal Rogé, Mie Kobayashi, and Yoko Hasegawa:


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## Rogerx

Beaux Arts Trio perform Ravel Piano Trio :angel:


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## SanAntone

*Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio* | _Trio In A Minor_: Modéré


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## vincula

Gaspard de la Nuit said:


> I get bored of almost everything after a long enough time...


Are you married? :lol:

Regards,

Vincula


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## Guest

John Zito said:


> This is a wonderful lecture, and it got me re-listening to the Ravel Trio a lot this year:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been enjoying the Onyx recording with Pascal Rogé, Mie Kobayashi, and Yoko Hasegawa:


This lecture on the *Ravel Piano Trio in A* is stunning; thank you. It also alerted me to the rest in this series. I love Bruce's sense of humour too. I actually found connections between the Passacaglia and Beethoven's Op. 10/3 Largo e Mesto - yet Bruce says Ravel hated Beethoven!! Well, apparently it was his antipathy to German musical hegemony. Yet I do hear Beethoven's concision in this movement of the work. OK, we'll take German military aggression and WW1 as part of that antipathy. Understandable.

What a joy to learn that the Trio was dedicated by Ravel to Andre Gedalge from the Paris Conservatoire; the very same teacher of my beloved Conrad Salinger of the MGM Freed Unit!!!


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## Josquin13

Ravel's Piano Trio is one of those works that must be heard live in concert to fully appreciate (its magical qualities), as it's an unforgettable experience, which no recording can quite duplicate. Nevertheless, here's a list of my 7 favorite recordings over the decades, listed in no particular order of preference:

--Trio Dali:

In Trio Dali's recording of Ravel's Piano Trio, the pianist Amadine Savary makes the piano line sound more distant and far off from the cello and violin parts, at times. It has the effect of sounding like the rumbling of distant, far off artillery fire, or perhaps bombs exploding. I also think that I can occasionally hear the whining monotone drone of high altitude bombers in the string parts (as something separate from the melody)--possibly enemy aircraft, as well as the sound of a siren warning at one point. I can't say for certain that Ravel intended this, but there are quite a few flat lining monotone notes within the mix. And when Ravel composed the piano trio, he was headed off to war, where he served as an ambulance driver during World War I.

Therefore, it makes me wonder if these were sounds that Ravel heard distantly during the days when he completed his piano trio, and incorporated them into his "modere" movement? If so, then what Trio Dali does here is very special (& it's a great performance anyway). At least, I've not heard another ensemble bring out these ominous sounding distant and flat lining notes to quite the same degree, or use the same instrumental balance to produce these effects. So, I wonder if they were consciously doing so? or just unusually 'in tune' with the subtleties of Ravel's score,





https://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Piano-...0115815&sprefix=trio+dali+ravel,aps,85&sr=8-1

The Arden Piano Trio and the Florestan Piano Trio are similarly first rate in this music, as are the Capuçon brothers with pianist Frank Braley (who offer one of the finest performances on record, IMO), and Trio Wanderer, if anyone's interested in doing some fascinating comparative listening:

--Arden Trio: 




--Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, & Frank Braley: 

















--Florestan Trio (available on CD and Hybrid SACD): 
https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Piano-Trio-Ravel-Faure/dp/B003XWFLVK
https://www.amazon.com/Faure-Debussy-Ravel-Piano-Trios/dp/B00004R61Q

Trio Wanderer:

















Among older, non-digital recordings, I also like the 1973 Kantorow-Muller-Rouvier recording very much. Their Erato recording was used to great effect in the French film, "Un Coeur en Hiver" (translated, "A Heart in Winter"), which served as my introduction to Ravel's Piano Trio many years ago (and to his other sonatas):





Here's a series of clips from "Un Coeur en Hiver", with the trio played over them: 




Another great favorite in regards to Ravel's Piano Trio is the Nash Ensemble's 1986 recording on CRD (which I may slightly prefer to their later 1994 recording on Virgin Classics, with the same trio line up). Suffice it to say, it's a desert island disc in my Ravel collection (along with Trio Dali's, & one or two others). Although I admit that this was the first recording that I imprinted on many years ago (apart from the film, "Un Coeur de Hiver"), so I may be slightly biased here. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful performance & program of music, and the recorded sound is first rate, which is a significant advantage in this music:


















https://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Introduction-Allegro-Sonata-Violin/dp/B0012WWGDO
https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...or-harp-flute-clarinet-and-string-quartet-etc


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## Guest

Thanks for alerting us to that wonderful performance by Trio Dali. I hadn't heard of them before and your understanding of their interpretation is a unique idea; I think Ravel composed this work before he saw service in WW1. This war experience badly affected Maurice Ravel (and millions of others, of course) and he is bound to have put his responses into the music thereafter.

For me, Ravel's Piano Trio in A is a work for the ages and I absolutely adore every note of it.


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## Josquin13

Christabel said:


> Thanks for alerting us to that wonderful performance by Trio Dali. I hadn't heard of them before and your understanding of their interpretation is a unique idea; I think Ravel composed this work before he saw service in WW1. This war experience badly affected Maurice Ravel (and millions of others, of course) and he is bound to have put his responses into the music thereafter.
> 
> For me, Ravel's Piano Trio in A is a work for the ages and I absolutely adore every note of it.


It was my pleasure. & I whole heartedly agree with your last sentence!

Ravel finished his Piano Trio in September, 1914, having composed it in a mere 5 weeks (as he later told Igor Stravinsky), knowing that he would soon go off to war & possibly not come back. In other words, he had to have realized or been aware that this could be his last composition. While WW1 began in August of 1914. So, it seems plausible to me, even likely, that Ravel might have heard the ominous distant rumbles of fighting during the 5 weeks that he composed his Piano Trio and found these sounds foreboding. Although I'm certainly not saying that the war is the only influence that can be heard in the first movement, it isn't. There is also a Basque influence. Indeed, Ravel was as eclectic as Debussy in this regard, & maybe even more so.


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