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[F_minor] Re: Ravel
I have never been a great fan of piano transcriptions for orchestral works,
as this seems more often than not to just further the futile endeavor of
trying to get a piano to sound like an orchestra. Nevertheless, this
transcription is quite an impressive feat. (As an aside, I love the
introduction, and my best friend and I are fond of using the "x's
transcription of x's transcription of..." line whenever we try to recreate
by ear a piece we've heard on radio/CD/etc; but our "transcriptions" are of
course never anywhere as good as GG's...)
Anyway, here is a bit more about the La Valse transcription, in a letter by
GG:
*December 6, 1974
Mrs. Morris Hochberg
Detroit
Michigan
U.S.A.
Dear Sylvia:
Many thanks for your note re 'La Valse'. I'm delighted that you enjoyed the
clip and I do hope that you will be able to see the programme in its
entirety in February. I'm afraid, however, that my general francophobia
proceeds apace: actually, the current decade-by-decade television series is,
if nothing else, a good training-ground since it has compelled me, for the
first time in my life, to play Debussy and Ravel. But also, I must tell you,
for the last time; actually Columbia have badgered me about a recording of
'La Valse' and I'm afraid that I've dug in my heels at least as firmly as
when they have a similar notion some years back about one or other of the
Chopin sonatas.
In any case, I had a great deal of fun with 'La Valse' because I found
Ravel's own contribution downright unusable for at least half its length; as
you perhaps know, he simply wrote out the harmonic foundation of the piece
on two conventional staves and added, as a kind of optional extra in very
small print and on a third stave, most of the colouristic elements which
gave the piece its flavour; much of the time, indeed, there is simply no way
in which one can incorporate the third-stave elements and simultaneously be
obedient to the material on the primary staves. Consequently, I cleared away
as much of the lower-stave underbrush as possible and incorporated as much
of the third-stave material as I could -- admittedly make a few discreet
alterations in Monsieur Maurice's voice-leading as I went along. As I say,
it was great fun, and I do hope you'll see the programme in February -- the
Ophelia songs of Strauss and the excerpts from Pierrot made it all
worthwhile.
All the best for now,
Sincerely,
Glenn Gould*
[[From *Selected
Letters*<http://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Gould-Selected-Letters/dp/0195411420>,
an absolutely wonderful book that I just cannot get enough of...)
On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 9:22 PM, f h <boyboy_8@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi all. I have just stumbled upon a GG recording/movie that is entirely new
> to me. I am totally dumbfounded and knocked senseless.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk-7fbHBvOY&feature=related
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTgus9CfwKc&feature=related
>
> I hope that the links will play for you. This is GG's entirely new
> rendition of Ravel's "La Valse". I am blown away. GG has captured the
> inner essence of this music much more ably than most orchestral versions.
>
> Now, this is what I call good "shock and awe".
>
> What do you all feel?
>
> Wow.....
>
> Fred Houpt
>
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