Concert Programs

Composer · 20th Century

Maurice Ravel

1875–1937 · French

Maurice Ravel was born on March 7, 1875, in Ciboure, a small town in the French Basque Country near the Spanish border. His mother was Basque and his father a Swiss-born engineer and inventor, a heritage that would profoundly shape his musical identity. From an early age, Ravel showed exceptional musical talent and entered the Paris Conservatoire at fourteen, where he studied with Gabriel Fauré and absorbed the harmonic innovations of his time.

Often paired with Claude Debussy under the “Impressionist” label, Ravel himself rejected this categorization. Where Debussy was spontaneous and atmospheric, Ravel was a meticulous craftsman, obsessed with formal perfection and clarity. This perfectionism produced some of the most beloved works in the orchestral repertoire: the hypnotic Boléro, the shimmering Daphnis et Chloé, and the virtuosic Gaspard de la nuit.

By the late 1920s, Ravel was France’s most celebrated living composer, yet he remained restless, constantly seeking new sounds and influences. A triumphant four-month tour of North America in 1928 brought him face to face with jazz, which impressed him deeply. These experiences would flow directly into his final orchestral works.

Played by

Wiener PhilharmonikerBerliner PhilharmonikerRoyal Concertgebouw Orchestra

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Sources 1

  1. Maurice Ravel, Wikipedia Cited in A Frenchman in New York and a Lost Viennese Genius. Accessed 30 September 2026.