Ravel: Orchestral Works

Although he spent most of his life in Paris, Ravel was born in the Basque region on the border of France and Spain. This album marks a homecoming for the composer, with six of his greatest orchestral masterpieces performed by the Basque National Orchestra. Starting with the fizzing energy of “La valse,” a satirical post-war glance at the Viennese waltz, the album goes on to explore his love of Spain, including “Alborada del gracioso” with its guitar-like pizzicatos, castanets, and shimmering strings, and the gorgeously orchestrated, endlessly imaginative Rapsodie espagnole. Ravel’s touching “Pavane pour une infante défunte,” inspired by Velázquez’s portrait of a Spanish princess, showcases the orchestra’s sumptuous sound, while his most famous work, “Bolero,” brings the curtain down with a display of mesmerizing rhythmic control and a final surge of euphoria.