Ravel / Pascal Rogé – Piano Works = Klavierwerke

Ravel – Piano Works
Maurice Ravel
Performed by Pascal Rogé

A richly detailed and expansive survey of Ravel’s piano music, this collection brings together some of his most imaginative, technically demanding, and atmospherically vivid works. Pascal Rogé, widely regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of French repertoire, delivers performances of exceptional clarity, colour, and precision - perfectly suited to Ravel’s intricate sound world.

At the heart of the album is Gaspard de la nuit, one of the most challenging works in the piano repertoire. Its three movements - “Ondine,” “Le Gibet,” and “Scarbo” - explore shimmering water textures, haunting stillness, and demonic virtuosity, pushing both performer and instrument to their limits.

The Valses nobles et sentimentales reveal Ravel’s fascination with classical dance forms filtered through modern harmonic language, while Jeux d’eau stands as an early masterpiece of impressionistic piano writing, full of fluid, cascading textures.

Miroirs expands the sonic palette further, each piece offering a distinct mood - from the nocturnal flutter of “Noctuelles” to the expansive sweep of “Une barque sur l’océan” and the rhythmic brilliance of “Alborada del gracioso.”

The Sonatine and Le Tombeau de Couperin showcase Ravel’s neoclassical clarity and elegance, balancing formal structure with expressive nuance. Shorter pieces and miniatures add further contrast, highlighting his wit, refinement, and stylistic versatility.

The set concludes with Ma mère l’Oye, performed as a piano duet with Denise-Françoise Rogé, offering a gentle, storybook-like close with its delicate textures and fairy-tale charm.

A definitive collection that captures the full range of Ravel’s piano writing - from virtuosic brilliance to intimate, impressionistic beauty.

Tracklist:

Gaspard de la nuit
1-1. I. Ondine – 6:23
1-2. II. Le Gibet – 6:34
1-3. III. Scarbo – 8:23

Valses nobles et sentimentales
1-4. I. Modéré, très franc – 1:17
1-5. II. Assez lent – 2:33
1-6. III. Modéré – 1:12
1-7. IV. Assez animé – 1:14
1-8. V. Presque lent – 1:34
1-9. VI. Vif – 0:37
1-10. VII. Moins vif – 2:41
1-11. VIII. Épilogue – 4:43

1-12. Jeux d’eau – 5:48

Miroirs
1-13. I. Noctuelles – 5:02
1-14. II. Oiseaux tristes – 3:54
1-15. III. Une barque sur l’océan – 7:20
1-16. IV. Alborada del gracioso – 6:26
1-17. V. La vallée des cloches – 5:41

Sonatine
2-1. I. Modéré – 4:38
2-2. II. Mouvement de menuet – 3:25
2-3. III. Animé – 3:42

Le Tombeau de Couperin
2-4. Prélude – 2:55
2-5. Fugue – 3:54
2-6. Forlane – 5:12
2-7. Rigaudon – 3:09
2-8. Menuet – 5:08
2-9. Toccata – 3:36

Additional Works
2-10. Prélude – 1:28
2-11. Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn – 1:40
2-12. À la manière de Borodine – 1:31
2-13. Menuet antique – 6:10
2-14. Pavane pour une infante défunte – 6:08
2-15. À la manière de Chabrier – 1:48

Ma mère l’Oye
2-16. Pavane de la belle au bois dormant – 1:27
2-17. Petit Poucet – 3:07
2-18. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes – 2:58
2-19. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête – 3:59
2-20. Le jardin féerique – 3:17