It's a painting by Claude Monet, "The Seine at Bougival in the evening".

"Une barque sur l'océan" feels like a Turner painting. those gorgeous washes of sound. The lush harmonies. It is absolutely my favorite in the set.

0:00 Noctuelles 4:39 Oiseaux tristes 8:41 Une barque sur l'océan 16:03 Alborada del gracioso 22:39 La vallée des cloches

9:57 Absolutely ethereal. I don't think I've ever heard the beginning of this section played with such soft, delicate, masterfully drawn-out fingerwork. And the 1901 piano makes it sound even better!

Miroirs was Ravel’s definitive breakthrough and contains some of the finest passages in his entire repertoire.

I'm happy that I get to experience listening to this in my lifetime.

Shout out to call me by your name for getting me to this masterpiece

Ravel lived (or lived) in a world understood by no one but himself. however we begin to see as we listen, how he composed out of seemongly thin air, a world of intense, and powerful mastery. his music wil live forever!

Ravel once said Oiseaux tristes was the piece he wrote that most reflected himself and his state of mind.

Ravel's legacy of astonishing, surprising and totally unique works of musical enchantment have made his continuing popularity with the five generations since his passing a bit unlike any other composer. He excites and bedazzles new listeners and holds seasoned devotees in the thrall of his ability to create palpable visions of color, light and emotionality with sound. I've been captivated by all of his works for over seventy years and cherish every note from this master.

One of the greatest, yet under rated composers of the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Everything Ravel composed shines with hypnotic brilliance.

This masterpiece with splendid skill and specutacular technique is full of Ravel's aesthetics

Chaotic yet so well controlled, a truly beautiful work of art.

16:03 is just magical. The light and jumpy introduction to that piece is so easy on the ear

There are many composers I love (e.g. Bartok, Shubert, Satie, Shostakovich, et al) and I have often wondered who is my absolute favorite... Not an easy decision, but if I had to pick, it would be Ravel. His music is so magnificent, and such a wonderful wide variance in the type of compositions he created. And when I listen to his remarkable "Chansons Madécasses", it confirms in my mind that Ravel's music is absolutely supreme.

Putting ads on this should be an offence punishable by death.

THESE RAVEL PIECES ARE HYPNOTICALLY ADDICTIVE. ONE CANNOT BUT STOP DREAMING TO THEIR SOUND.

I really don't think there can be anything more expressive, more eloquent than Oiseaux Tristes, especially the beginning. I never imagined what it was like to be a bird, but now I feel my wings flapping slowly as I glide across the ocean. My feathers are ruffled by the wind as I look down on the ship before me. One of my companions darts upward in the air. Despite the wonderful ocean breeze I feel an intense sadness. I glide down and land in the water to watch as the humans man their ship. As I look on, I am overcome with sorrow, for the sea air is no longer ours alone. The humans have come, and they are a blot upon the untamed Blue. I take to the air as one of them tosses a net into the water.

"La Vallee des Cloches" is the piece that made me fall in love with Ravel 11 years ago. These heavenly pieces never get old, I only love them more each time I hear them. "Noctuelles" evokes images of adorable fuzzy flying moths and green lacewings!!

I became enchanted with this work more than 40 years ago. This piece still inspires me with its sense of mystery , freedom and it's very colorful tonal/harmonic/rhythmic palette.

Throughout this piece there is a great display of complex skill, yet he still strikes a soulful note within all the madness. I was waiting for him to cut the fat and just appeal completely to the soul, and around 22:40 he starts to do just that. Amazing

8:41- Makes me feel like I’m in the ocean.🌊

This was recommended to me and it's good

De toute beauté. La musique ainsi que le tableau, qu’elle satisfaction à travers ses œuvres… 🇫🇷

Ravel.... still, my favourite composer and Noctuelles evokes images of PRECIOUS FLUTTERING MOTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having listened to Maurice Ravel all my life I am REDISCOVERING Ravel as perhaps the best composer of the last century. Daphnis et Chloe is ample proof of this. Stravinskki and Picasso are the most celebrted, but not necessarily the best in each catagory. I now find Ravel absolutely devine and in a level beyond Debussy with his poly tonalities which everything is beautiful, and not merely experimental as in the case of some others.

This is my absolute favorite recording of my favorite Impressionistic work. Pure magic

8:40 ...whoa...

Ah yes, one of the great piano shredders of his time.

The lack of attention this has only makes it all the more sacred.

This is playing of the highest order. Amazing! Richly-coloured, intense but subtle. Incredibly compelling! Why is Bavouzet not better-known? The best performance of this I have heard, so far.

Elegant and highly sophisticated performance of this truly impressionistic masterpiece! The scintillating sound of piano is unforgettably beautiful.

Moving and uplifting recording - makes Ravel come to life, and takes me to another place. Reminds us once again of the great a composer he is.

Ces géniaux compositeurs,oh ! Combien reconnus post mortem, le plus souvent méprisés , vivants de rien, quelle rage me vient,idem Bartok, Mozart etc ...

The other great French master standing alongside Debussy, though you could never mistake the one for the other!

I grew up on Gaspard. 7 minutes in always got me. It wasn't till later I heard Miroirs and rediscovered those ethereal tones.

PURELY DIVINE, PURELY SUBLIME

Mám takový pocit, že muzika jaksi už vyšla z módy. Třeba se mi to jen zdá. Již to není co bývalo.

J'ai cliqué sur tant de vidéos liées, à travers tant de paysages insolites, incroyables et étranges.. Je me sens comme dans un compartiment sur un chemin de fer, à admirer une succession de scènes folles jamais vues auparavant, des musiques importantes et étranges à travers la fenêtre du wagon.. il y a tant de choses à explorer, tellement d'endroits où se poser puis rester dans les ambiances proposées. Cet arrêt en particulier est brillant 👍

Wow..outside of Alborada del gracioso I couldn't really appreciate these when I was a little younger but listening now......brilliant. Every single one. You can really see the brilliance when following along with sheet music.

In some circumstances, one may be quick to overlook the Impressionist period in music. It falls just at the end of the Romantic, and just before the Modern Era. As Ravel is a definite front runner in this period, how can such musical mastery be overlooked, or categorized generally with compositions by other composers, such as Chopin and Mendelssohn? What lies in the music found here, concerns an entirely different aspect of musical compositions. We can look at another famous Impressionist, Claude Debussy. He himself denies any correlation with Impressionism, and yet, how can he ever be viewed as anything else? His rich harmonies, lingering tones, it becomes impossible to classify his music as classical, at some points he suggested. However, it is possible to include definite classical roots in Debussy's music. Some may go as far to call some of Debussy's pieces exploratory, even experimental, and yet, when listened to, the entirety of his pieces reveal an underlying purpose. Every struck note, from Claire de Lune, to his Cakewalk, and Les Trois Poemes, each note serves a purpose, as difficult as it may seem to find. His music revolves around an idea of motive, and cause. An undeniable intention. Returning to Ravel, he includes many intricate patterns, delicate tones, and harmonic qualities. It is not a skew of notes and pitches, to then come to a conclusion, it remains a story of each note, and how it became. When comparing Debussy to Ravel, one may attempt to call Debussy's music a skew of notes, set upon creating an overwhelming chorus, while really, just as Ravel includes his quick runs and turns, Debussy does as well, in different notation. To recall the first statement, that Impressionist music cannot be classified as Romance, still remains true. As described, the incredible purpose and justification of each run separates this period of music entirely from the rest. Also included, no composer during this period can be considered superior to another, as all held a sense of intention and motive, yet all so individually expressed the hidden architecture under each piece. The period of Impressionism is unlike any else, and must therefore be regarded in every aspect, as true, and genuine, completely solitary, in its own right.

glad i have listened to this. such a masterpiece.

am I the only one here not because of an assignment???? lmaoooooooo I wish I could write about ravel he's my god

I first heard this composition played on a Steinway Duo-Art piano about 60 years ago. In my memory it was not played with this passion and understanding but it brought Ravel into my life and I've never looked back.

This work inspires me to go out and enjoy some good paintings! Truly inspiring in terms of art.

Ravel'in müziğinde hayatın tüm iniş ve çıkışlarının yansımaları var. insana dair duyguların karmaşıklığı, izlenimlerin göreceliliği, her şey burada..

I always wished to have been in Paris at this time on our Earth.

Thanks for the detailed description. It is very valuable and important.

i can’t help but see call me by your name flash before my eyes when i listen to une barque sur l’océan

Muchos años escuchando esta magnífica obra y de pianistas muy brillantes pero he de confesar que la interpretación de Jean-Efflam es sencillamente maravillosa, sin duda la mejor que he oido y de un pianista para mí desconocido. Gracias por compartir.

Here is an addendum to my post: What becomes clear to a composer is that there are two invisible forces in Harmony one being Diatoniscism and the other Chromaticism. The first is a force for tonal clarity or keyness or harmonic simplicity. Normally the 2nd force 'chromaticism' (a force for ambiguity expresivity unpredictability) is held at bay or 'contained' by Diatoniscism that's called tonal music theory. However over time chromaticism began winning the war as successive composers found more and more ways to include more and more notes outside the key. What this leaves one with is a kind of 'spectrum' of human affective response to chromatic density. The music you are currently listening to has a very high chromatic density. As the music becomes more chromatic ( in good hands) it becomes more and more expressive untill an upper advanced limit is reached and then the music becomes dreamy or impressionistic. If pursued further it becomes very mysterious a kind of no-mans land of supercharged ambiguity. If pursued further it becomes untethered but still intuitively tonal like the Berg Piano Sonata. Then the break with tonality all together came.

If you don’t believe in the sublime...listen to this.

I will never be good enough for this

"Une barque sur l'océan" is so incredible; the way the music evokes the rolling of the ocean and crashing of waves. Is there a musical term for this? Almost like musical onomatopoiea.

love this.

This is the first time listening , and it's real.

Love it

You know what? In the opening seconds of the final of Miroirs, it kind of reminds me of railroad gates going down, and then 2 seconds later, it sounds like the train horn or whistle while the train rolls through the crossing,

Thank you for posting this, I hear it for the 1st time and love it. It's quite original too.

16:42 That nuclear bass drop 🔥🔥

Dio mio, che bella musica

Why didn't he want to be called Impressionist? I love everything about the genre!

dont mind me :b just listening to this for an assignment in music class

I just love MaURICE Ravel's 2 pieces that he wrote in whicxh he dedicated part s of it to people he knew, The other piece of course being his "Le Tombeau de Couperin".

No you are not my man this is one of favorite pieces ever , it displays possibly every human emotion in the known world . It glides, concludes, rises, gets playful gets sad, comes out on top, comes out last, stays in control , and to have written something like this is purely amazing , every note, every hand motion , the dexterity . Lol just a nerd , let me stop. Thank you.

I COMPLETELY ADORE RAVEL´S PIANO MUSIC FOR IT´S SOPHISTACATION AND DELICACY.

Thank you for sharing this, and including all the detail!

A great piano suite by Ravel --Piano playing by Bavouzet is superb--incredible technique with a beautiful tonal quality -

Very beautiful.

So beautiful and so still ❤

Masterpiece

Simply, my favourite song. I cant even describe it...

I miss this Europe

Bavouzet's playing is incredibly crystal clear :D very very enjoyable listening

I'm in love with this.

Ravel et Debussy me touchent toujours en plein coeur ! Leurs musiques chaque fois, semblent s'adresser à moi directement, inhibant tout le reste. Je reste comme capturé dans un univers sonore duquel je ne ne peux pas m'échapper ..... Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ignore.

I absolutely love Une Barque sur l'Ocean :)

a stellar performance, absolutely breathtaking!

Bardzo lubię muzykę Maurice Ravela.....tyle wrażliwości ,piękna......Dziękuję

0：00　Moth 4：39　Sorrowful birds 8：41　Boat of the sea 16：03　Song of the morning of the clown 23：39　The Valley which sounds of the bell

Strange that I don't remember listening to the first half before. Thanks for uploading. The picture is a great pick!

Quel soulagement.

At 21:18 there is an absolutely interesting chord being played. It's placement amongst the glissando is perfect.

Somebody loves Ravel! This I can tell. Thank you Jean-Efflam. Although M. R. may have called this suite "Miroirs" or "Reflections," somehow, they are not so much reflections as they are the very (sound) essence itself… of these friends of his (Ravels). They are living sound- portraits. They are not reflections of anything. Unlike paint or painting or even mental images frozen in time and space, they are their essence in motion. That means they are… to some degree alive. Each unique and though free of earthly form; they live. Only an artist like Ravel and a pianist like Jean-Efflam could portray such verisimilitude before our eyes. In short, transcendence made eminent. Extraordinary! Sent with love, CVD

Exquisite intérprétation de cette musique merveilleuse....Merci!

this is the least percussive Ravel piano playing ive yet to hear. evocative and imaginative.Oiseaux tristes and Barque were liquid in places,vast panoramas ere evoked.Really wonderful playing .Gorgeous.

Exceptionally beautiful and peaceful. Love classical music as well too. The painting is magically admirable. 😘😘😘

Thank You .

Great

The intro sounds extremely similar to the "Strong Earthquake" warning that gets played over loudspeakers here in Japan during a major earthquake. Gave me a jolt for a second.

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet accomplit ici une excellente interprétation. Bravo.

nice touch. Good job.

Well all poetic purple prose aside. What these pieces represent is the end of an organic process that began with Bach teaching us all how compelling this new fangled tempered tuning system could be with it's huge chromatic potential for the seamless inclusion of notes outside the key! This feat is accomplished through both horizontal e.g. (melodic) and vertical e.g. (harmonic) means. So here are some very late instalments in what had been a composer driven power dive into higher and higher levels of chromatic density i.e. {the history of Western Art Music.} Next came the 20th century crisis in tonality i.e. enter Stravinsky and Schoenberg. But there was an organic evolution due to built in proclivities of our modern tonal system that successive composers merely followed that led to the 20th century crisis in tonality.

Every time I listen to this piano piece it's because I'm studying for something difficult or writing a research paper or something awful like that-- yet it's always so beautiful still.

Profundo,misterioso y difícil Ravel.

Muchas gracias :)

superb bravo! merci beaucoup Bavouzet

Claude Monet's "The Seine at Bougival in the Evening".

This and Greigs piano concerto in A minor is my favorite

How can you describe impressionist music in one word.