MAURICE RAVEL
(born 1875 in Basses Pyrénées, France; died 1937 in Paris)

Tzigane (1924)

Maurice Ravel is one of the most important French Impressionist composers, along with Debussy. In addition to composing he was an accomplished pianist and conductor. As a composer, he was often fascinated with the interpretation of a theme, both musically and content-wise, as demonstrated in his well-known works such as Rapsodie Espagnole, on a Spanish theme, and Tzigane, on a Hungarian theme.

Born into a household filled with cultural activities, Ravel’s parents, who were French and Basque, were very supportive of their child’s musical gifts and interests. Though he was born in Basses Pyrénées, he spent his childhood almost entirely in Paris—capital of the intelligentsia and new artistic trends, where the previously considered “exotic” was increasingly becoming the “fashionable.”

Tzigane, which Ravel wrote in his forties, was first conceived for violin and piano, but later arranged for violin and orchestra. Today, it is still more often played in the original version of violin and piano. The word tzigane is French for “gypsy.”

Dedicated to the Hungarian violinist Jelly D'Aranyi, a great-niece of the legendary violinist Josef Joachim, Tzigane is a work derived from Ravel’s interest in the gypsies and in Hungarian culture. It can be broadly divided in 2 sections: the Cadenza and the post-Cadenza. The Cadenza could be considered a gypsy’s declamatory monologue about his life - his misery, passions, memories, surroundings, and dreams. As the Cadenza ends we are transported into the countryside where the gypsies live. We experience the gaiety of their lives in a section that peaks in a festive, frenzied dance in the form of a loose set of variations, Ravel basically uses two themes: one previously used in the Cadenza, and another introduced only towards the middle of the main section (post-Cadenza).

The violinist has plenty of "tricks" with which to demonstrate virtuosity and technical agility in this piece. The greatest challenge is in the interpretation of the Cadenza, however. Poor playing can easily make it interminable. The piece demands a particular blend of spontaneity, uniqueness, and coordination, all of which is more difficult than one might initially assume. Playing the Cadenza with "beautiful" tone does not solve the problem, either; it is as if the performer must completely redefine violin playing!