Ravel: Piano Concertos (2005)

Old-time Ravel fans will remember Monique Haas' recordings of the Concertos with great fondness, even affection. Haas at her best was that kind of player, a player with a polished technique and a warm tone, but a temperament that turned passionate when roused. And Haas was at her best and her most aroused when playing Ravel. Haas' 1965 recordings with Paul Paray conducting the Orchestre National de la RTF Paris embodied the Concerto in G's insouciant wit, dry-eyed emotion, and endless joie de vivre and the Piano Concerto ... Read More

Old-time Ravel fans will remember Monique Haas' recordings of the Concertos with great fondness, even affection. Haas at her best was that kind of player, a player with a polished technique and a warm tone, but a temperament that turned passionate when roused. And Haas was at her best and her most aroused when playing Ravel. Haas' 1965 recordings with Paul Paray conducting the Orchestre National de la RTF Paris embodied the Concerto in G's insouciant wit, dry-eyed emotion, and endless joie de vivre and the Piano Concerto for left hand's monumental grief, massive aggression, and unrelenting, overwhelming anger. Paray and the RTF Orchestre's accompaniment is lighter and more supple but still powerful and persuasive. Haas' 1955 recordings of the solo Sonatine and Valses nobles et sentimental are cooler and more reserved, but the heart of her performance still beats strong. DG's '60s Paris sound for the Concertos is not especially clear and the '50s German sound for the solo works is not... Read Less