Search - Maurice Ravel, Anne Queffélec :: Ravel: Piano Works

Good buy

12/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is THE Ravel set to own, formerly two separate discs now available together for a budget price. Anyone interested in a complete set of Ravel's piano music should bypass Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the others and go right here. Masterfully played, well-recorded, with just the right touches of legato and rubato that make the music flow. Coming from a Ravel fanatic, this set contains the best performances I've yet heard of the Pavane, Le Tombeau de Couperin, the Sonatina and Valses. A great set, and a great bargain."

Sumptuous and Unique

JMB1014 | USA | 12/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anne Queffelec is one of the most interesting modern interpreters of Ravel. Like the great Gieseking, she plays these works as truly impressionistic music. I was impressed with how slowly Gieseking plays "Le Tombeau de Couperin," for instance, compared to most other pianists. It is far more effective. Ms. Queffelec's version captures this more thoughtful spirit and also has much better sound than Gieseking's. I have been mystified with performers like Entremont, Simon, Roge, Lortie and Thibaudet, who apparently see this as some kind of speed contest. Their versions, while all competently rendered, seem like cookie cutter versions of each other, compared with Ms. Queffelec's distinctive and very pleasing performance. I wish there were a recording by Jean Martinon on the piano, to demonstrate how beautifully this music can be rendered, since his orchestral version is second to none. (Again, this is in contrast to Charles Dutoit, who screams through the music as if he had a plane to catch). If you want to feel like you are in France on some sunny hillside where you can languish under a blue afternoon sky with a bottle of Beaujolais and baguette, this is for you."

A Great Buy

JMB1014 | 03/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Until buying this CD, I had yet to find a good recording of Ravel's complete piano works. I had tried the Abbey Simon and Werner Haas recordings and was dissapointed. This CD is the one I had been looking for. A great buy and bargain. She plays technically very well and brings out everything that should be brought out in the music and knows how to play Ravel. Buy it!!"