MA MÈRE L’OYE

Composer(s): Claude Debussy, Louis Durey, Francis Poulenc, Charles Koechlin, Maurice Ravel

Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper
Reference: KTC1625
Barcode: 8711801016252
Format: 1 CD
Release date: 2019-05-17
SKU: KTC1625 Categories: , , , , , ,

€ 21,50

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Dressed in an elegantly-cut suit, hair parted, shoulders straight and chin raised, a cigarette balanced nonchalantly between two fingers: whoever has perused a collection of photographs of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) will recognise this image of a refined, suave and style-conscious man. He was to go down in history as a composer who possessed an exemplary sense of finesse and good taste. Ravel’s musical palette was intended for the delectation of gourmets and connoisseurs, with a range of timbres, subtle, exuberant and exotic by turns, that he blended together into sounds of breath-taking beauty. Ravel’s fascination with childhood was the obverse side of his sophisticated personality. He was captivated by the transcendental innocence of the years of childhood and by children’s unbridled fantasy and unprejudiced perception; he preferred their company to that of adults. The poetry of childhood and the magic and mystical detachment of fairy tales appealed to him: ugliness is imprisoned in a fortress far beyond the horizon, an evil deed will always come to light, and the call of adventure sounds forth from even the most unwelcoming forest. Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye is very much a part of this universe. Ravel drew his inspiration for this suite of five movements for piano four-hands from the tales of Charles Perrault, the Comtesse d’Aulnoy and Marie Leprince de Beaumont: these were the favourite books of Mimi and Jean Godebski — the children of the artist Cyprian Godebski — and Ravel subsequently dedicated the suite to them. The music echoes the rhythms of the narratives and the clarity of the tales with repetitive bass figures and simple melodies. In Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant, an evocation of Sleeping Beauty, Princess Florine is presented as a sleepwalking figure. It is then the turn of Tom Thumb (Petit Poucet) who, despite leaving a heap of breadcrumbs behind in the forest, is accompanied by chirping birds. Laideronnette, Imperatrice des Pagodes tells of how a princess is transformed into an ugly little girl: she travels with a serpent to the land of the Pagodes, beings whose bodies are made from jewels. In Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête we hear waltzes, growling, and the waving of a magic wand; Ravel provides a splendid depiction of the moment when Beauty accepts to marry the Beast and suddenly beholds not the Beast, but a handsome Prince. The catharsis is complete with Le jardin féerique, a symbolic happy ending: a wonderful carpet of sound, on which the happy pair begin their long and happy life together. The success of the work’s first performance exceeded Ravel’s wildest dreams. He wrote to Jeanne Leleu, one of the pianists, as follows: "Mademoiselle, when you come to be a great virtuoso, by which time I shall be an old fogey covered with honours or completely forgotten, I hope that you will remember how much you gratified this artist with your performance of this somewhat strange work, playing it exactly as it should be. I thank you a thousand times over for your childlike and sensitive performance".

1. Bilitis, CD 97: Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d’été
Composer: Claude Debussy
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

2. Bilitis, CD 97: Pour un tombeau sans nom
Composer: Claude Debussy
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

3. Bilitis, CD 97: Pour que la nuit soit propice
Composer: Claude Debussy
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

4. Bilitis, CD 97: Pour la danseuese aux crotales
Composer: Claude Debussy
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

5. Bilitis, CD 97: Pour l’Égyptienne
Composer: Claude Debussy
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

6. Bilitis, CD 97: Pour remercier la pluie au matin
Composer: Claude Debussy
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

7. Sonatine, Op. 25
Composer: Louis Durey
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

8. Sonata, FP 185: I. Elégie
Composer: Francis Poulenc
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

9. Sonata, FP 185: II. Scherzo (très animé)
Composer: Francis Poulenc
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

10. Sonata, FP 185: III.
Composer: Francis Poulenc
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

11. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: I. Vieille chanson
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

12. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: II. Gai, assez animé
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

13. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: III. Andante espressivo
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

14. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: IV. Moderato con moto
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

15. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: V. Allegro moderato
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

16. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: VI. Andante quasi adagio
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

17. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: VII. Beau soir
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

18. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: VIII. Andantino
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

19. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: IX. Allegretto con moto
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

20. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: X. Allegretto quasi andantino
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

21. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: XI. Allegretto
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

22. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: XII. Danse Printanière
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

23. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: XIII. Marche funèbre
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

24. 14 Pièces, Op. 157b: XIV. Allego moderato
Composer: Charles Koechlin
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

25. Ma mère l’oye, M.60: I. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

26. Ma mère l’oye, M.60: II. Petit Poucet
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

27. Ma mère l’oye, M.60: III. Laideronette, Impératrice des Pagodes
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

28. Ma mère l’oye, M.60: IV. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

29. Ma mère l’oye, M.60: V. Le jardin féerique
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Artist(s): Peter Verhoyen, Stefan de Schepper

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MA MÈRE L’OYE
€ 21,50
Listen on your favorite streaming serviceSpotify IconSpotify
Listen on your favorite streaming serviceSpotify IconSpotify
Dressed in an elegantly-cut suit, hair parted, shoulders straight and chin raised, a cigarette balanced nonchalantly between two fingers: whoever has perused a collection of photographs of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) will recognise this image of a refined, suave and style-conscious man. He was to go down in history as a composer who possessed an exemplary sense of finesse and good taste. Ravel’s musical palette was intended for the delectation of gourmets and connoisseurs, with a range of timbres, subtle, exuberant and exotic by turns, that he blended together into sounds of breath-taking beauty. Ravel’s fascination with childhood was the obverse side of his sophisticated personality. He was captivated by the transcendental innocence of the years of childhood and by children’s unbridled fantasy and unprejudiced perception; he preferred their company to that of adults. The poetry of childhood and the magic and mystical detachment of fairy tales appealed to him: ugliness is imprisoned in a fortress far beyond the horizon, an evil deed will always come to light, and the call of adventure sounds forth from even the most unwelcoming forest. Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye is very much a part of this universe. Ravel drew his inspiration for this suite of five movements for piano four-hands from the tales of Charles Perrault, the Comtesse d’Aulnoy and Marie Leprince de Beaumont: these were the favourite books of Mimi and Jean Godebski — the children of the artist Cyprian Godebski — and Ravel subsequently dedicated the suite to them. The music echoes the rhythms of the narratives and the clarity of the tales with repetitive bass figures and simple melodies. In Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant, an evocation of Sleeping Beauty, Princess Florine is presented as a sleepwalking figure. It is then the turn of Tom Thumb (Petit Poucet) who, despite leaving a heap of breadcrumbs behind in the forest, is accompanied by chirping birds. Laideronnette, Imperatrice des Pagodes tells of how a princess is transformed into an ugly little girl: she travels with a serpent to the land of the Pagodes, beings whose bodies are made from jewels. In Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête we hear waltzes, growling, and the waving of a magic wand; Ravel provides a splendid depiction of the moment when Beauty accepts to marry the Beast and suddenly beholds not the Beast, but a handsome Prince. The catharsis is complete with Le jardin féerique, a symbolic happy ending: a wonderful carpet of sound, on which the happy pair begin their long and happy life together. The success of the work’s first performance exceeded Ravel’s wildest dreams. He wrote to Jeanne Leleu, one of the pianists, as follows: "Mademoiselle, when you come to be a great virtuoso, by which time I shall be an old fogey covered with honours or completely forgotten, I hope that you will remember how much you gratified this artist with your performance of this somewhat strange work, playing it exactly as it should be. I thank you a thousand times over for your childlike and sensitive performance".