Maurice Ravel

Sonata - Berceuse sur le nom de Fauré

Ravel worked on his Sonata for Violin and Piano for four years (1923-1927) which was longer than he took for any other composition. According to the composer, the reason for his difficulties was the 'fundamental incompatibility' of these two instruments. However, the interplay between two quite different partners is precisely what makes this sonata so charming. The violin and piano are independent, sometimes playing alongside each other and at other times with each other: here in a lyrical Allegretto, there in a jazz-inspired second movement, finally in a 'perpetuum mobile' finale.

This new edition edited by Douglas Woodfull-Harris corrects numerous inconsistencies of earlier editions. It also includes the 'Berceuse sur le nom de Fauré' which is available for the first time in a scholarly-critical Urtext edition. This lullaby for violin and piano consists of variations on a theme derived from the letters of Fauré’s name.