Ravel: Bolero and G Major piano concerto

Maurice Ravel is considered one of the most distinguished composers of the 20 th century. He is well noted for the originality of his orchestral structures, for the richness in the timbre and for the rhythmic vitality. His extraordinary capability to invent and enhance new tone colors, and his capability to arrange orchestral scores, has made it possible to introduce the utilization of numerous musical instruments in the orchestra. Most of the time, Ravel's works give the piccolo flute the possibility to show great expressivity and virtuosity in certain passages. Hence one must not be surprised if in the auditions or competitions, one is asked to play some of his orchestral works. His two orchestral excerpts that are going to be analyzed, present two different characteristics, i.e. the first extract is written in the high register, and to be played slurred and pianissimo, where the second extract is written in the low register, to be played staccato and forte.

Bolero:

This famous composition, inspired from the Iberian folklore, is a grand manifestation of Ravel's immense capacity of orchestration. In this piece, one can hear Ravel's innovative and outstanding timbres emerging, especially in the passage, where the two piccolos play together. The C Major theme is given to the French horn and to the celesta, dynamics of a mezzo forte and piano respectively. On the other hand the two piccolos, which play in the keys of E and G Major, have to play so much in a piano dynamic that their sonority has to be perceived as harmonics of the French horn. Personally I think that they would be playing in a forte dynamic if they play to be heard more distinctly! Besides, according to the rule of harmonics, the 1st piccolo player who is playing in the high register should play much more subtly than the second piccolo player. This is the most difficult part, which is demanded in orchestral auditions. To play pianissimo in the third octave is always difficult for the piccolo player. So that's where the difficulty is set. One must take great care to play with an open throat and utilize the maximum of support: this will allow pushing the air more freely from below, and directing it towards a small embouchure whole, where it will acquire the necessary velocity. Constant support of all the notes is very important in this passage: a good development of the breathing technique will help you to achieve this (reference to article 18). One must also pay attention to the direction of the air column, which has to be stabilized by directing it with the lower lip. Take care of the intonation especially in the 1 st part, where there are the notes E, C sharp and B. If in the second part of the solo you use the alternative finger of the high F sharp, beware of the intonation, since this note tends to rise in pitch. Try to have an accurate intonation on the successive notes, i.e. D sharp and C sharp. For the C sharp one should utilize the alternative finger, since it is much higher in pitch than the standard fingering. Exercise 1 would be of help in order to play the high E and the F sharp pianissimo. One can use this exercise even in exercises 22 and 26, of Moyse's book ‘De La Sonorite', which are to be found in pp20. One must remember that the theme is accompanied by a steady rhythm which must be abided by at all times. Hence due to its pace, it cannot be played too slow because it is after all intended to be played piano which makes it more difficult to adapt!

G Major Concerto for piano and orchestra: