Encounters - Ravel & Chopin by Junwen Liang

Jeux d’eau Maurice Ravel

Sonatine
Modéré
Mouvement de menuet
Animé

From Mirrors
Alborada del Gracioso

Three Mazurkas, Op. 56 Frederic Chopin
Allegro non tanto
Vivace
Moderato

Two Waltzes
D-flat major, Op. 70 No. 3
A-flat major, Op. 64 No. 3

Rondo a la mazur in F major, Op. 5

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Ravel’s Jeux d’eau (1901) marked a turning point in early 20th-century piano writing, inspired by the sound and movement of water. With shimmering textures and impressionistic harmonies, it draws from Liszt’s Les Jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este, but Ravel’s voice is unmistakably modern. His Sonatine (1903–05), begun for a magazine competition, is a neoclassical jewel—restrained, elegant, and full of refined lyricism. Alborada del Gracioso, from Miroirs (1905), bursts with Spanish color and rhythm, evoking the humorous serenade of a street entertainer through guitar-like figuration and sharp percussive effects.

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
The Three Mazurkas, Op. 56 (1843) are among Chopin’s most sophisticated treatments of the Polish dance, combining folk rhythms with daring harmonic explorations. The Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 70 No. 3 and Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 64 No. 3 reveal his gift for turning a salon form into deeply personal expressions, balancing grace and nostalgia. The youthful Rondo à la mazur, Op. 5 (1826) already hints at Chopin’s lifelong affinity for Polish dance rhythms, blending virtuosic brilliance with national character.