Maurice Ravel – Alborada del gracioso
“Alborada del gracioso” (“The Gracioso’s Aubade”) is the fourth movement of “Miroirs” (Reflections), a suite for solo piano written by French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel between 1904 and 1905. All the five movements are dedicated to a fellow member of the French impressionist group, Les Apaches: 1. “Noctuelles” (“Night Moths”) – Dedicated to Léon-Paul Fargue, Noctuelles is a highly chromatic work, maintaining a dark, nocturnal mood throughout. The middle section is calm with rich, chordal melodies, and the recapitulation takes place a fifth below the first entry. 2. “Oiseaux tristes” (“Sad Birds”) – Dedicated to Ricardo Viñes, this movement represents a lone bird whistling a sad tune, after which others join in. The rambunctious middle section is offset by a solemn cadenza which brings back the melancholy mood of the beginning. 3. “Une barque sur l’océan” (“A boat on the Ocean”) – Dedicated to Paul Sordes, the piece recounts a small boat as it sails upon the waves of the ocean. Arpeggiated sections and sweeping melodies imitate the flow of ocean currents. It is the longest piece of the set, and, with the exception of Alborada del Gracioso, the most technically difficult. 4. “Alborada del gracioso” (“The Gracioso’s Aubade”) – Dedicated to Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi, Alborada is a technically challenging piece that incorporates Spanish musical themes into its complicated melodies. 5. “La vallée des cloches” (“The Valley of Bells”) – Dedicated to Maurice Delage, the piece evokes the sounds of various bells through its use of sonorous harmonies. “Alborada del gracioso” was orchestrated by Ravel himself in 1918. Conductor: Claudio Abbado & London Symphony Orchestra.
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