Miroirs

Miroirs ( " mirror " ) is a composer Maurice Ravel in 1905 cycle of five piano pieces with the titles:

The work belongs alongside Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit later cycle and the piano works of his contemporary Claude Debussy to the key works of French Impressionism, which were composed for this instrument. All the pieces, but particularly "Une barque sur l' océan " and " Alborada del gracioso ", are technically very demanding and characterized by a virtuoso piano, picks up the suggestions of piano works by Liszt, Mussorgsky, Debussy and Ravel's previous piano works. The composer uses the entire technical, harmonic and tonal range of the instrument to produce extremely diverse and sophisticated color nuances in all things.

The cycle " Miroirs " was first performed in 1906 by his friend, the pianist Ricardo Viñes with Ravel.

Noctuelles

The technically challenging free play follows the course of an ABA form with a slower middle section; it alternates repeatedly between B minor and G flat major and can be associated with a moth orbiting a light source and repeatedly alternates between light and shadow.

Oiseaux tristes

The second piece is a very dark work, but the melancholy tones with bright, beady -to-play melodies are consistently decorated.

Une barque sur l' océan

In this relatively sophisticated piece is Ravel's desire to transfer images in Music ( Impressionism ), most clearly. The entire piece is, like Ravel wrote, played " enveloped by the pedal ." The figures in the left hand object initially has a full sound. Later in the melody divided between the two hands.

Alborada del gracioso

The 4th work is both technically and musically demanding pieces. It take turns biting dissonant, short -to-play and sparkling motifs. Through the work of pulling alternately dark and bright loud games in which the main topics will be taken up again and again. The high demands of the piece to the pianist results from the Tonrepetitio, a musically difficult to process polyphonic passage to the end of the piece, as well as a variety of technical finesse. The title - Alborada del Gracioso - literally means " morning serenade of fools. "

La vallée des cloches

The last part contains, as the title suggests, bells, which are represented by deep and loud octaves as well as high, low, slight sounds. In the later works of Ravel's chimes are taken up again and play a major role there.