This week, Filharmonie Brno will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth, with a tribute over three evenings featuring Alexandre Tharaud, one of the most internationally recognized pianists of his generation, who will first perform in a solo recital and then twice with the orchestra in a program composed entirely of Ravel’s work.
“He is my beloved composer, to whom I have been devoted since my youth,” said Tharaud. “For me, he embodies the spirit of 20th-century French culture, a perfect balance between romanticism, lyricism, love of pleasure, a certain levity, a celebratory spirit and at the same time moderation, meticulous attention to detail and a sense of precision.”
For his recital this evening, Tharaud chose Ravel’s ‘Miroirs’ (Mirrors), which consists of five elaborate, mostly dark pieces. He will complement this with four pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach in his own transcription, and conclude with Paul Dukas’ ‘L’Apprenti sorcier’ (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice).
On Thursday and Friday, Tharaud will perform two Ravel piano concertos framed by his ballet music at the Janáček Theatre: the second suite from the ballet ‘Dafnis and Chloé’ and the choreographic poem ‘La valse’. Between them will be the ‘Concerto for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra in D major’ and the ‘Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major’, which Ravel composed at the same time, in 1929.
“They are two very different pieces,” explained Tharaud. “The G major is sunny, Mozartian, playful – it’s like champagne. The Concerto for the Left Hand, on the other hand, delves into the depths of the earth, exploring the darkest parts of Ravel’s personality. It is fascinating to play and hear them in one evening because they are in dialogue with each other. One is classical, the other is completely modern, and they also require completely different techniques.”
Tharaud’s Brno program will be led by chief conductor Dennis Russell Davies.
Piano compositions were the focus of Ravel’s work from the beginning, reflecting his stylistic diversity. “We can find everything in them, from explosions of impressionistic moods to aristocratic grandeur to historicizing works,” said Vítězslav Mikeš, dramaturge of Filharmonie Brno.
In 2023, Tharaud released a complete recording of Ravel’s piano work on two CDs, and both concerts to be performed in Brno have been in his repertoire since he was a teenager. However, he did not release them as recordings until 2003, at the age of 55, to the admiration of professional music circles.
Tickets for all three evenings are on sale online at filharmonie-brno.cz, in advance and at the venue before the concert.
