Although Ravel (1875-1937) was a pianist, and composed his keyboard pieces with a sure knowledge of the instrument and what it was capable of, he lacked the technique of the likes of, for instance, Chopin, Liszt or Rakhmaninov as an outright composer-pianist. Because of this, Ravel’s piano works were not written as vehicles to demonstrate pianistic virtuosity as a goal in itself, even if some of them - such as the suite Gaspard de la Nuit - present enormous challenges for the prospective performer.

---

Recorded at Alpheton New Maltings.