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Rating: The recovery of themes and harmonies from the Slavic folkloric tradition, contextualized with the Central European classical music, has always been a constant among many famous composers, from Haydn to Brahms, from Bartók to the Russian expressionist Stravinsky.
But when Ravel in 1924 took up a Hungarian rhapsody from the previous century to make it his own, he did so with an elegance and timbral refinement without precedent. He himself referred to his brilliant composition Tzigane as "a virtuoso piece in the style of a Hungarian rhapsody." However, for an attentive and passionate listener, this roughly 11-minute gem represents much more.
Centered on the acrobatic journeys of a violin halfway between the Gypsy romance and the majestic virtuosity of Paganini, the composition was first presented by the French composer in a version for luthéal piano and violin, and then a few months later became more imposing with the transcription for violin and orchestra, to which I refer. The first 4 and a half minutes are characterized by the solo violin, which seems to draw irregular and mutable lines in the air, of incredible passion and difficulty, strongly influenced by traditional Balkan harmonies. Here, bowed whispers merge with steep climbs reaching the instrument's sound limits, virtuosic pizzicato arpeggios, and, poignantly, silence. The pauses between silence, scales, and whispers, where even the friction between bow hairs and strings can be perceived, create an emotionally impactful beginning for the listener. We are in the presence of the performer's intimacy, shortly before the typical Ravelian timbral outburst of the entire orchestra. And thus, when the umpteenth trill seems to fade into the background, it is instead elevated by delicate arpeggios of celesta and harp, leading into a haunting vortex that temporarily calms in a stasis, only to soar again. From here on, it is a succession of swirling harmonic insights and violin whispers, where Ravel enjoys quoting Paganini, Haydn, Liszt, and himself with unique personality.
The particularity of the composition lies mainly in its absolute rhythmic and timbral unpredictability, which disorients and stupefies, as if witnessing the deliriums of a schizophrenic. And even the close of the rhapsody remains true to these characteristics, representing the end of a finely crafted sound vortex of great technical and interpretative difficulty, in my opinion one of the French composer's greatest peaks. Two famous interpretations are those featuring Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell as soloists. I relied on the second musician to describe the piece to you, who delivers a truly sublime performance, while I cannot comment on the first.
Everyone must know this declaration of crazy love for the violin and music, everyone must experience the personality of this brilliant author, everyone must be transported by his poetry in the Hungarian musical language.
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