LDV109

20 RAVEL ∙ THE SOLO PIANO WORKS The term ‘expressif’ appears repeatedly in Ravel’s scores. How should the pianist convey that in musical terms? Yes, Ravel uses that word constantly. In the second of the Valses nobles et sentimentales , he even specifies ‘avec une expression intense’. He clearly attaches great importance to what the interpreter has to contribute in this respect, even though he often quipped, ‘Don’t interpret my music, just play it!’ Yet whatever he meant by the term, he remains himself, and his legendary reticence forbids any kind of soul-searching. The music, like the man, shows great restraint That reticence, coupled with fastidiousness of style, rigour and sometimes even a form of asceticism, often coexists in his works with a powerful sensuality. What importance do you attach to that dimension? Ravel was a very secretive person, who refused to allow himself to pour out his feelings. People sometimes talk about his reticence as if he didn’t reveal anything. But his music betrays a hypersensitivity that is conveyed between the lines: despite that immense discretion, he unobtrusively reveals intimate things, often through prisms, like that of Miroirs for example. There’s the sensuality that is so obvious in his orchestral works, in Daphnis et Chloé , Shéhérazade , Bolero , and even in La Valse , which, sombre and tragic as it is, nevertheless sweeps us off on its giddy dance. I find it in his piano music too, in Ondine , but also in the arpeggios of Jeux d’eau and in the Valses nobles et sentimentales . The waltzes possess an exquisite sensuality, sublimated by their supreme elegance.