Miroirs

Miroirs – Ravel dedicated each of these five piano pieces to a member of the Parisian artistic circle Les Apaches. Ravel also belonged to this circle of poets, painters and musicians, giving first performances of many of his works at gatherings of this illustrious group. In Miroirs he went a step further than in Jeux d’eau. The music was to sound as if it came from a sketchbook. The bold harmony irritated his contemporaries at first but pointed the way ahead for Ravel’s subsequent works. This famous cycle – it also contains the well-known Alborada del gracioso – is now available in Henle Urtext in a particularly clear and larger format with an extensive commentary.