Tzigane, Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra

Program notes

About the Work

Ravel described Tzigane as a virtuoso piece in the style of a Hungarian rhapsody. It came out of an evening in London. The Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Arányi had played his Sonata for Violin and Cello at a private gathering, and afterwards Ravel asked her for some of the gypsy-style melodies of her homeland. She played for hours. Ravel decided to write her a showpiece that, as he put it, could not be anything but Hungarian.

He prepared carefully, studying Paganini’s Caprices and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, and finished only just in time. D’Arányi, to whom the work is dedicated, gave the first performance in London in April 1924. The original accompaniment was for piano, optionally fitted with a luthéal, a recently invented attachment that could make the instrument sound something like a cimbalom, the hammered dulcimer of Hungarian bands. The luthéal soon fell out of use. The version that has lasted is the one Ravel made for violin and orchestra later the same year.

The title is simply a French word for “gypsy”. The piece is a Frenchman’s knowing take on a popular style, a late addition to the line of gypsy-themed showpieces that includes the Zigeunerweisen of Sarasate, who is also on tonight’s programme.

What to Listen For

The violin begins entirely alone, and stays alone for a long time: the opening cadenza takes up nearly half the piece. It starts low and dark, on the instrument’s bottom string, and gradually works through a catalogue of virtuoso devices.

Like a csárdás, the piece moves from slow to fast. When the orchestra finally enters, listen for the harp and celesta, which give the accompaniment its glitter. From there a chain of short, dance-like episodes follows, getting quicker and quicker until the breathless close.