Ravel Imaginaire David Guerchovitch & Slava Guerchovitch

• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77:
• 1 Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77: I. Allegretto 08:00
• 2 Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77: II. Blues. Moderato 05:36
• 3 Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77: III. Perpetuum mobile. Allegro 04:04
• Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62:
• 4 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: I. Prélude. Très lent (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 04:14
• 5 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: II. Danse du rouet et scène. Allegro (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 04:04
• 6 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: III. Pavane de la belle au bois dormant. Lent (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 03:33
• 7 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: IV. Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête. Mouvement de Valse. Modéré (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 05:12
• 8 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: V. Petit poucet. Très modéré (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 05:29
• 9 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: VI. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes. Mouvement de marche (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 05:09
• 10 Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: VII. Apothéose. Le jardin féerique. Lent et grave (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot) 03:22
• Tzigane, rapsodie de concert in D Major, M. 76:
• 11 Ravel: Tzigane, rapsodie de concert in D Major, M. 76 11:01
• Total Runtime 59:44

Info zu Ravel Imaginaire

In Imaginaire, brothers David and Slava Guerchovitch bring together two of Ravel's most beguiling and imaginative works for violin and piano, the Violin Sonata No 2 and Tzigane, alongside a piano arrangement of his enchanting Ma mere l'Oye.

Violinist David Guerchovitch is first concert master of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, while pianist Slava Guerchovitch's Odradek debut Born in Monaco explored their rich musical heritage. In Imaginaire, the brothers seek to illuminate this repertoire with a fresh approach, shedding where possible the baggage of established interpretations. For the Violin Sonata, they drew inspiration from the manuscript of the first performance, which contains not only the indications of Ravel, but also of George Enescu, the first interpreter of the sonata and a great friend of the composer, with whom he had studied. They also find parallels between each movement and other compositions by Ravel: the dreamy first movement reminiscent of Ma mère l'Oye; the second movement of the harmonies ofL'enfant et les sortilèges; the last movement in the insistent rhythms and abrupt ending of Boléro.

Jacques Louis Albert Charlot, composer and close friend of Ravel, made the transcription of Ma mere l'Oye featured on this recording. Approved by Ravel himself, this transcription reproduces the work in its final form, that of the ballet created in 1912. Charlot was killed in the Great War and Ravel paid tribute to him in the dedication of his 'Prelude' from Le tombeau de Couperin. Charlot's transcription requires one or two additional hands for the execution of the additional staves in the first two movements, making public performance virtually impossible. Here, thanks to Odradek's recording technology, Slava records the additional voices separately, then combines them with the main voice.

Ravel's Tzigane is a work that embodies his imagination through its vibrant and passionate evocation of Romanian and Hungarian cultures. Its improvisatory character is determined by rigorous rhythmic notations, which the brothers were able to observe on the manuscript itself, kept in their hometown of Monaco. These often ignored indications allowed them to take a new approach to this undoubted classic.

David Guerchovitch, violin
Slava Guerchovitch, piano

Slava Guerchovitch
was Born in Monaco, and just as his homeland became a point of departure for the journeys that followed, so the repertoire on this album represents a series of departures from different angles and with different meanings. Bach describes the departure of his older brother to a new life in Sweden; Ravel mourns the departure of his friends who died in the middle of the First World War; and Liszt evokes Dante and the loss of his muse Beatrice. As the pianist explains in the Artist Statement, a feature of Odradek album booklets: “The journey of Bach’s older brother to Sweden reminds me of my older brother David’s journey from home for higher education in Germany, especially since the honour guard in which Johann Jakob was enrolled is traveling to Russia (my family’s original home country), hence the use of the Russian folk theme ‘Ah you, inner porch’ by J.S. Bach in the last movement of his Capriccio. Maurice Ravel had a very close relationship with the Principality and in particular with the Salle Garnier of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the place where his lyrical fantasyL’Enfant et les sortileges was created. As for Liszt’s work, it was one of the great musical revelations of my childhood, and one of the works that inspired me to become a pianist.”

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet