MAURICE RAVEL “ Kaddisch ” from Deux Mélodies Hébraïques
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1875 in Ciboure , France ; died 1937 in Paris , France
• Ravel was born in a Basque town in France just 11 miles from the Spanish border . His mother ’ s Basque heritage had a significant influence on his music and life .
• In 1889 , Ravel was accepted into the Paris Conservatory , but he was a difficult student and was expelled not once , but twice ! The director of the school disliked Ravel , and the two would continue to butt heads in later years .
• Ravel was seemingly ambivalent about praise and criticism , and the only opinion he truly valued was his own . This served him well , as he endured mixed criticism for the earlier part of his career .
• Around 1900 , Ravel and a group of artists , musicians , and poets formed an informal group known as Les Apaches ( The Hooligans ).
• Ravel and Debussy were often compared to each other , which neither composer liked . Ravel once said , “ If I had the time , I would reorchestrate La mer .”
• Ravel enlisted in the French military for WWI , during which he served as a lorry driver at the age of 40 . After the war , Ravel ’ s reputation as a composer took off , and he was considered the leading French composer of the time .
• A perfectionist , Ravel had a relatively small musical output throughout his life and worked in a slow , painstaking way . While he may have written few pieces , their impact was considerable . His most prolific works include La valse , his orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition , and Bolero .
• Toward the end of his life , Ravel suffered from a brain injury after a taxi accident , which prevented him from being able to write . His funeral was attended by Stravinsky who once compared Ravel to “ the most perfect watchmaker .”
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1914
MUSIC Charles Ives ’ Violin Sonata No . 3
ART Paul Klee ’ s In the Style of Kairouan
FUN FACT
Ravel once caused a major scandal at the Paris Conservatory . After a piece he submitted for the coveted Prix de Rome scholarship was rejected , there was such an uproar that the director of the conservatory resigned .
ABOUT THE PIECE
• This work , written in 1914 , was commissioned by singer Alvina Alvi as part of a set of two songs Deux Mélodies Hébraïques , which were premiered that same year by Alvi with Ravel at the piano .
• The work , originally written for voice and piano , uses the Kaddish as inspiration . The Kaddish is an ancient Jewish prayer that is one of the most central elements of Jewish liturgy and is often used for mourning loss . Tonight ’ s version of this work has been arranged for solo cello and orchestra .
LITERATURE James Joyce ’ s Dubliners
HISTORY The Panama Canal opens
BSO SESSIONS | FEBRUARY 2021
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