At the beginning of the XXth century, Balakirev’s Islamey was THE most technically demanding piece ever written for piano. With Scarbo, Ravel decided to transcend Islamey’s virtuosity and write something much more difficult than Balakirev’s work. Well, he won his bet and by far. More than a hundred years after, Scarbo is still the most difficult piece in the piano standard repertoire.

Besides its virtuosity, it also appears to be one of the most beautiful, mysterious, colorful… work ever written. You get it: I love Scarbo and this piece has been fascinating me since I was 14.

Who is Scarbo? Scarbo is a little fiend or goblin, moving fast, disappearing and reappearing, frightening us. Ravel didn’t write a difficult piece for the sake of virtuosity. He wrote it in this way to express the “personnality” of Scarbo: scary, fast, unpredictable. So, you now understand the huge dynamic contrasts, the virtuosity and the constantly changing character of this work. Once again, Ravel perfectly used his talent to render Bertrand’s poem into music.

“I wanted to make a caricature of romanticism. Perhaps it got the better of me.” said Maurice Ravel on Scarbo.

Sure it did! And, dear Maurice, with Gaspard de la nuit you certainly wrote one of the most interesting work for piano solo if not THE most interesting one. You clearly broke down the barriers of technical possibilities and opened a new dimension in piano writing and performing.

Related Posts :

• Le gibet (Gaspard de la nuit - Ravel)  Today, we'll speak about another track of my upcoming album: Ravel's Le gibet. Le gibet, second movement of Gaspard de la nuit, [...]
• Ecoute, Ecoute! C'est moi, c'est Ondine (Ravel - Gaspard de la nuit)  Today, We will pursue the exploration of my album's Track list with Ravel. Not that we're done [...]
• The 5 most difficult piano pieces  It is a question I'm often asked and find it quite hard to give an answer. The notion of difficulty is a subjective one, and what [...]

Each sound is the result of a vibration and consist of sine wave shaped oscillations. Sounds produced by an acoustic instrument or by singing consist of a fundamental frequency and overtones that are multiples of the frequency of the first harmonic. These multiples as a whole is called the harmonic series (see fig. below).

The human ear usually doesn’t perceive harmonics as separate notes. A musical tone composed of many harmonically related frequencies is perceived as one sound, the quality, or timbre of that sound being a result of the relative strengths of the individual harmonic frequencies. The timbre of an instrument is thus defined by its harmonic spectrum. For example, the characteristic timbre of a clarinet is a result of its very weak even (4th, 6th, 8th, …) harmonics.

Why did I say I would talk about Ravel if I don’t? Here it comes! We’re speaking about timbre, a synonym for color, the most important thing in Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. I am about to reveal a well guarded secret: how Ravel literally creates new sophisticated colors with a single instrument called piano.

Remember the beginning of Ondine reproduced above? The “tremelo” is clearly a color pattern: Ravel doesn’t want us to detail each of the thirty-second notes but to give the illusion of a general color. He uses a C sharp major triad and adds a minor 6th (A). The key is C sharp Major, fundamental tone is C sharp, the C sharp major triad in C Sharp major represents the 4th,5th and 6th harmonics of the C sharp spectrum, nothing unusual. That would have been totally boring if Ravel had not added the minor sixth, the 13th harmonic of the C sharp spectrum. So, basically Ravel took the fundamental tone C sharp, and modify the color of this C sharp by reinforcing certain harmonics in his spectrum. But why adding the 13th harmonic?

First, he added the minor sixth to make the C# triad unstable and create movement. For me, this tremelo is an evocation of liquidity: a general pattern in motion with micro modifications sounds to me like flowing water. But he could have done this in other ways. Why precisely this 13th harmonic?

Acoustics specialists noticed that we reinforce the thirteenth harmonic in our voice to create a compassionate and loving tone. Have you ever noticed the shift in timbre when you speak to someone lovingly with great inner empathy? Putting emphasis on the 13th harmonic creates for the listener a feeling of warmth, comfort, kindness and presence. Exactly what Ravel wants to convey in the beginning of Ondine. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Balancing harmonics is the secret of the timbre: without this 13th harmonic, this beginning would have been totally blend. With a pattern consisting in four tones of the a single spectrum, Ravel created a color exactly matching the ambiance of Aloysius Bertrand’s poem. That’s genius.

Related Posts :

• The little story of musical notation 3/4  In the second part of the little story of musical notation, we have seen appear neumes and have discovered that musical notation [...]
• First Solo Album : Janáček / Ravel  Both Janáček and Ravel have a particular resonance with Pierre-Arnaud Dablemont and reflect his path in the music world. He [...]
• Ecoute, Ecoute! C'est moi, c'est Ondine (Ravel - Gaspard de la nuit)  Today, We will pursue the exploration of my album's Track list with Ravel. Not that we're done [...]

Anyway, the big issue is that each published score has a different text. Let me show you a short but striking example.

This is the same bar from 2 “urtext” editions, and I circled the two differences. First the meter is different: 4/8 for the first and 2/4 for the second, which means perception of rhythm and tempo are different. The second difference is B flat in the first, G flat in the second. As this one is quite obvious, no need to explain what it changes.

Any indication affects interpretation. If the notation changes, the interpretation changes. This is just one bar and look how different they are! Imagine how different could be the interpretations! And sometimes even the keys (tonality) are different. So how does a performer choose? He studies, he analyzes, he calls specialists, he tries several versions and finally decides what he believes to be the original.

I won’t tell you what I chose, there wouldn’t be any suspense when you’ll listen to the album! But something funny to conclude: I noticed that in all the editions I compared the tempi were always the same, so no mistake possible. Could you then explain me why most pianists are ignoring these precious indications?

Related Posts :

• The score (2/4) - Editions  A promise is a promise. In my first post about the score I told you that I will talk about the issue of editorial quality and the differences [...]
• The score (3/4) - Notation  Let's continue our series on interpretation and scores. In our previous post we have been discussing the issue of editions, today let's [...]
• Leoš Janáček: On an overgrown path  As my recording sessions are getting closer, I'm completely focused on Janáček and Ravel's work featured on the CD, namely [...]

There is a deep bond between Janáček and me. I started playing his works more than a decade ago, before I left France, and I like to think my passion for his music somehow played a role in the decision of studying and living in the Czech Republic. Anyway, I’ll record this year the first series of On an overgrown path alongside In the mists. Why only the first series? Janáček began to write the second series of On an overgrown path in 1911, but instead of finishing this second cycle of memories from the past, he decided to express his current mental state. He thus completed In the mists in 1912, before he finished the second series of his miniatures for piano (not published during his lifetime). It was important for me to respect the chronological order, making In the mists a sort of conclusion to the first series. This is my way to underline how On an overgrown path and In the mists are intimately related.

On an overgrown path is the piano cycle starting a short period (1900-1912) in which Janáček wrote nearly all his piano works. The genesis of this work is quite complicated, and it took more than 10 years to Janáček to take it from its first note to its final shape. A little before 1900, Janáček received a letter from Josef Vavrá, asking him to contribute to the soon-to-be-published collection of harmonium pieces Slavic Melodies. It was not a coincidence at all if he asked Janáček: the Moravian composer was already using folk melodies as material for his works (cf. Moravian Folk Songs). We do not know how Janáček responded to this letter but Josef Vavrá, 3 years later (October 22th, 1900) wrote in a postcard sent to Janáček “I shall be glad to have your moods!”. The “moods” was a reference to the future On an overgrown path. At this time, the cycle had only six pieces : Our evenings, A blown-away leaf, The Frýdek Madonna, Good night, The barn owl has flown away! and a Piu mosso published after Janáček’s death. More important, the cycle was written for harmonium and not piano.

In 1908, Janáček expanded his cycle to nine pieces, for piano, discarding the Piu Mosso and adding 4 new pieces: Come with us!, Words fail!, In tears and a piece later deleted. Soon he added the 2 last pieces : They chattered like swallows and Unutterable anguish. The cycle was completed before summer 1908 [Remember this year, you'll see we'll speak about 1908 again]. After endless discussions with publishers, the cycle got finally published in 1911 as we now know it.

It took around 13 years to complete the first cycle of On an overgrown path with a lot of twists and turns, that’s what I call a difficult birth! Like the CD I’ll record, which could be an other explanation of why I wanted to record this particular work. But I already talked a lot about that, didn’t I? In my next post we’ll explore deeper the music itself and talk, among other things about its programmatic background. Stay tuned!

Related Posts :

• Leoš Janáček's piano works  Born in Hukvaldy in Moravia (Czech Republic), Leoš Janáček is a particularly interesting musical figure, quite unknown [...]
• Following an overgrown path, you can easily get lost.  In my previous post, Leoš Janáček: On an overgrown path, we spoke about the work's background and its genesis. [...]
• First Solo Album : Janáček / Ravel  Both Janáček and Ravel have a particular resonance with Pierre-Arnaud Dablemont and reflect his path in the music world. He [...]

Sometimes finding the right concerto for an event can be challenging, and Jaemi made me think a lot this time (in fact Jaemi makes me think a lot in general, see here!). I initially planned to play Ravel’s G major but some copyright issues and rental fee seemed to make our lives a little more complicated : it meant extra fundraising and extra work. I was not really aware of these problems, and in my opinion that’s not problems you want to struggle with for your first season. So I decided to look for an other solution.

I played a little Saint-Saens’ 5th concerto, a little Brahms’ 2nd concerto and checked instrumentation. Wonderful piano concerti, but the instrumentation required a lot of players and I wasn’t feeling like playing them anytime soon. And then I had an idea. Why not Rachmaninoff d minor ? Instrumentation OK. Copyright OK. What about me? Ok or not?

Rachmaninoff concerto in d minor op. 30

In fact I was really surprised : I had not played this for years, and but the concerto was still feeling fresh in my mind and a lot of joyful memories emerged. I practiced this concerto as a student a decade ago, and I could remember how proud I was in those times : I was the one playing Rach 3. Yes, this concerto has a particular connotation for pianists as it is supposed to be the most difficult piano concerto in the standard repertoire. I found out later when practicing his second concerto that Prokofieff wrote terrible things too, even more challenging than Rachmaninoff.

At first there was the challenge, of course, like other pianists I guess. But When I started practicing it, I discovered the real beauty of this work, how wonderful was this music. From the performer point of view, I really enjoy playing it and I feel like the orchestra is enjoying it : it is not only a brilliant work for the piano but also for the whole orchestra. Anyway, this concerto was thus my offer to Jaemi and the HHO, and I would be thrilled to play this with them!

If you want to help and support the Houston Heights Orchestra, connect with them through their website or their Facebook page.

Related Posts :

• The 5 most difficult piano concertos  Two years ago, I published a post entitled The 5 most difficult piano pieces trying to determine the top 5 most difficult solo [...]
• George Gershwin - Concerto in F  Not much performed in Europe, this work would deserve much wider attention. George Gershwin's Concerto in F is a work from the classical [...]
• Do pianists only listen to Classical music?  I'm often asked the question "what do I listen to besides Classical music?" Sometimes, people offer me to relax with such-and-such [...]

In first place, Prokofiev’ second concerto. Long and technically extremely difficult, this concerto is also difficult for the pianist to remember and for both parties (orchestra and pianist) putting together is a hard task.

In second place, I would put the d minor concerto by Sergei Rachmaninov. No need to spell it out, it is an extremely difficult whole but very rewarding when played in public.

Some will be surprised by the third place: Bartok’s second concerto. Nobody talks about it, very few pianists play it, but without a doubt, one of the most difficult piano concertos ever written!

4th place attributed to : Brahms’ second concerto. Maybe the longest concerto in piano history. Very tricky also.

And the last one in this very subjective ranking: Richard Strauss’ Burleske. Wonderful work (I like very much Rudolph Serkin’s interpretation) but really not easy to play…

Let’s sum up this “top 5″:
1 – Prokofiev: Second concerto in g minor.
2 – Rachmaninoff : Third concerto in d minor.
3 – Bartok : Second concerto
4 – Brahms : Second concerto in B flat major
5 – R. Strauss : Burleske

I can only repeat what I already wrote in 2009 : “Of course, this is just my point of view on the subject and you will certainly hear about other suggestions elsewhere.”

And you, what would you add to this list?

Related Posts :

• Rachmaninoff third concerto : the solution  Yesterday, I have been going through my music bookshelves, digging for a piano concerto. I was looking for something really [...]
• George Gershwin - Concerto in F  Not much performed in Europe, this work would deserve much wider attention. George Gershwin's Concerto in F is a work from the classical [...]
• The 5 most difficult piano pieces  It is a question I'm often asked and find it quite hard to give an answer. The notion of difficulty is a subjective one, and what [...]

Except some pieces, Chopin wrote almost exclusively for the piano and was able to push the limits of his instrument. The studies, op. 10 and 25, are still the number one reference in terms of difficulty, especially when it comes to playing both opuses on stage. The whole point of these studies is their undeniable musical value: While insisting on a technical difficulty, Chopin expresses a genuine musical idea. Unlike its predecessors (eg Clementi), the Polish composer gave his letters of nobility to the “study” form, considering it as a serious piece and presentable in concert, and will then be followed by Liszt, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, among others.

Chopin, who was a lover of the bel canto, especially the bellinian one, never considered the piano as an orchestra but as a voice. In his studies, no breaking chords and no thundering octaves à la Liszt, but his voice, coupled with much deeper and less demonstrative difficulties: nothing easy nothing free. Chopin’s studies are essential: they allow to gain a solid and free technique, but also to master the complexity of a refined musical discourse just as the composer’s one.

When I was younger, their name alone made me shudder. I fought them so much! With hindsight, I think I was trying to fit the study into my fingers rather than fitting the pianist into the study. Today, with a little more experience, I realize that my approach was wrong. These studies are so fun to play that I wonder why I did not understand immediately what to do… The main thing is that I finally settled (or, that I am settling) the score with them! I can now sleep in peace, Chopin’s studies, I don’t fear of you!

Related Posts :

• Chopin's sonata in b flat minor  Each time I exhume the Chopin's sonata in B-flat minor, I'm wondering what he had in mind while writing the final movement. Four pages [...]
• The score (1/4)  The score is often the first medium you have to deal with when studying a piece. It enables the composer to encode four key dimensions of music: pitch, [...]
• 2010 has been declared Chopin year!  Each year represents an opportunity to honor a particular composer, and 2010 has been prepared actively. Indeed, pianist and composer [...]

At the top of the pyramid, I would put Gaspard de la nuit by Maurice Ravel. Technically and musically extremely impressive, many pianists shied away from learning it.

In second place, I would put the Second Sonata by Pierre Boulez. No need to spell it out, it is an extremely difficult whole (in particular for memory) and just as Gaspard de la nuit, it fascinates me a lot, but few go through all the work required to perform it in public.

I assign the third place to the three famous movements from Petrushka by Stravinsky. Manually not so easy and musically complicated, like any other piano reduction by Stravinsky…

Some will be surprised by the fourth one: The eighth Sonata by Prokofiev.

And the last one in this very subjective ranking: the Sonata opus 106 hammerklavier by Beethoven, especially for its very famous fugue…

Let’s sum up this “top 5″:
1 – Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit
2 – Boulez : Second Sonata
3 – Stravinsky : 3 movements from Petrushka
4 – Prokofiev : Eighth Sonata
5 – Beethoven : Sonata Hammerklavier opus 106.

Of course, this is just my point of view on the subject and you will certainly hear about other suggestions elsewhere. Notice that 4 in 5 works are from the 20th century, at a time when piano technique and pianos greatly evolved.

And you, what would you add to this list? What are your criterions for considering a work to be difficult?

Related Posts :

• The 5 most difficult piano concertos  Two years ago, I published a post entitled The 5 most difficult piano pieces trying to determine the top 5 most difficult solo [...]
• Mozart's Sonata Kv 330  Next week, I will give a recital in Prague. On the program, the famous Mozart's sonata in C Major Kv 330. This sonata has been played many [...]
• 5 records I can't live without  After a comment from Piano Agitato in the French version of "The record: a help or a hindrance to artistic creation?", I have been [...]

The famous Sonata I.X.1905 (of which remains only two movements), the two series of On an Overgrown Path, In the Mists and a sole piece entitled Memory represent the totality of what Janáček wrote for piano. It isn’t much you might say? Yes, but dense! I have learned during my studies in Prague how much this music was stylisticly difficult and stamped with the composer’s Moravian roots.

V mlhách (In the Mists), which I am going to play this Tuesday, January 27th is my favorite cycle by Janáček. I love to play this music, in which I always find something new. Four movements full of the composer’s characteristic strength: a pleasure to the fingers and to the ears!

Let’s listen now to the first movement of In the Mists.

Related Posts :

• Leoš Janáček: On an overgrown path  As my recording sessions are getting closer, I'm completely focused on Janáček and Ravel's work featured on the CD, namely [...]
• The 5 most difficult piano pieces  It is a question I'm often asked and find it quite hard to give an answer. The notion of difficulty is a subjective one, and what [...]
• First Solo Album : Janáček / Ravel  Both Janáček and Ravel have a particular resonance with Pierre-Arnaud Dablemont and reflect his path in the music world. He [...]

Mozart has left us 20 sonatas for piano, of which the most famous are certainly, the A Major Kv 331 and its “Turkish march”, as well as the one said to be “easy”, in C Major Kv 545. Easy? Not really… Mozart’s work is for me one of most difficult, requiring an absolutely perfect and natural playing, as well as an extraordinary subtility. For a pianist, playing Mozart means to bare his own soul.

This sonata Kv 330 is the tenth of the composer and has notably been immortalized by a certain Vladimir Horowitz. Fascinating, this sonata has turned me on since I was a kid, I used to listen to Horowitz with my tape player I carried everywhere in the house. Next tuesday, my biggest wish would be to be up to this piece, and once again reveal to the public the Master’s genius.

Related Posts :

• Chopin's sonata in b flat minor  Each time I exhume the Chopin's sonata in B-flat minor, I'm wondering what he had in mind while writing the final movement. Four pages [...]
• The 5 most difficult piano pieces  It is a question I'm often asked and find it quite hard to give an answer. The notion of difficulty is a subjective one, and what [...]
• Leoš Janáček's piano works  Born in Hukvaldy in Moravia (Czech Republic), Leoš Janáček is a particularly interesting musical figure, quite unknown [...]