17 Nov 2016

RAVEL: Pavane pour une infante défunte

From Music Alive, 8:00 pm on 17 November 2016
Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress, Diego Velazquez

Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress, Diego Velazquez Photo: Public Domain

Ravel composed his piano piece Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) as a student at the Paris Conservatory. He later created this orchestration.

When asked about the work's title, Ravel replied, "Do not be surprised that title has nothing to do with the composition. I simply liked the sound of those words and I put them there."

But he also said that the piece depicted a pavane – a dance popular in European courts in the 16th and 17th centuries – as it would be danced by an Infanta found in a painting by Diego Velázquez.

Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 17 November 2016
Producer: Tim Dodd; Engineer: Adrian Hollay

 

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