Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, Gaspard de la Nuit, Miroirs

Album review

Pianist David Korevaar has recorded his broad repertoire for several labels, from J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier on Musicians Showcase to the piano works of Lowell Liebermann on Koch; his strong interest in early twentieth century piano music brings him to works by Maurice Ravel on this 2005 recording on MSR Classics. In this program, Korevaar delves into some of the toughest keyboard music to bring off technically -- the Alborada del gracioso in Miroirs and Scarbo in Gaspard de la nuit are two of the most fiendishly challenging works in piano literature -- yet he has the artistic integrity and aesthetic taste to make this album more than an exhibition of his obvious virtuosity. There are nuances and shadings in Korevaar's playing that are far more interesting to explore than his mastery of Ravel's pyrotechnics; note his subtle dynamics in Oiseaux tristes or Ondine, and his maintenance of suspense in the repeated notes of Le gibet, and it becomes apparent that Korevaar has more interest in painting colors and bringing out hidden inner voices than merely showing off. Somewhat unexpectedly, Le tombeau de Couperin is his best display, not merely for his brilliant prestidigitation, but more importantly for his suggestions of Ravel's lush orchestral timbres and the careful balancing of neo-Baroque transparency with the nostalgic haze of Impressionism. The reproduction is clean and enjoyably realistic.

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