Ravel: Complete Works for Solo Piano

Maurice Ravel was born in 1875 and was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s as France's greatest living composer – a remarkable achievement, considering the obstacles placed in his path by the ultra-conservative Parisian musical establishment of his time. (Ravel was rejected twice by the Paris Conservatoire!). Compared to others, Ravel, who was highly self-critical, was a slow and conscientious composer, but almost his entire relatively small body of work is still in the repertoire and is regularly performed and recorded. The piano was Ravel's first instrument, and he successfully composed some of the most virtuosic pieces in the repertoire, reflecting his extraordinary understanding of the instrument and his precise conception of the sounds and effects he wanted to achieve. The pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet has won numerous awards, such as the Gramophone Editor's Choice and the Diapason d'Or. He says: "Ravel only entrusts us with something on the rarest of occasions. In these extraordinary moments, our admiration for this musical giant, for his intelligence and his elegant writing style, for his perfect proportions, gives way to a wave of emotions that is difficult to tame."