Do you think Maurice Ravel would approve of this?

Question

Most of us probably know that when orchestrated his own "Le Tombeau de Couperin," he omitted the wonderful Toccata movement (as well as the Fugue). However, conductor/pianist Zoltan Kocsis apparently made an orchestration of said Toccata (or someone else did, but I believe Kocsis did it and is conducting in this link), and I actually enjoy it; I think it'd be cool of the orchestrator kept with Ravel's instrumentation, however, but what's here is fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0GevBsIJNA

Does anyone here think Ravel would approve of this orchestration (as in, enjoy it)? If not, why?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Wow. I've heard other orchestrations of this movement that I would have to say aren't probably as great as this one. Thanks for sharing - Ravel's probably my favorite composer. The orchestration is really well done, but I agree, it would have been interesting to hear the Toccata with the original instrumentation. Would he approve? I'd say so.

del_icious_manager · Answer

This is the first time I have heard this orchestration of the 'Toccata'. I have often wondered why Ravel left it out of the orchestral version of 'Le tombeau de Couperin', as it would have suited his genius at orchestration so well. I have also wondered why left-out the final 'Promenade' from his orchestration of Musorgsky's 'Pictures from an Exhibition'.

This version is very good (although perhaps not as Ravel might have done it) and I suspect he might have approved.

veloneil · Answer

Ravel was renowned as an orchestrator as well as a composer, so I think he'd approve. And this is very well done.

Luc · Answer

I know I aprove, but i am just a music lover

? · Answer

I know I aprove

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Do you think Maurice Ravel would approve of this?

5 Answers