Record Review

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Music: Classical

A thorough look at the week's classical music releases, plus news and recommendations.

A thorough look at the week's classical music releases, plus news and the Radio 3 Disc of the Week recommendation.

Record Review: Ravel's Introduction and Allegro in Building a Library with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

Ravel's Introduction and Allegro in Building a Library with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

BBC Radio 3 - Record Review, Ravel's Introduction and Allegro in Building a Library with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Ravel's Introduction and Allegro.

A trawl through the best of this the week's classical music releases, and in Building a Library, Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Ravel's Introduction and Allegro.

with Andrew McGregor

9.30 Building a Library
Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Ravel Introduction & Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet.

In turn-of-the-century Paris harp wars raged between two rival harp manufacturers. But what could have been an arcane foot note in the history of an often dull solo instrument left the repertoire enriched by two of the leading French composers of the day. Claude Debussy's 1904 Danses sacrée et profane for solo harp was written for Pleyel. A year later Maurice Ravel's commission came from the firm of Érard and the result was his Introduction & Allegro 'pour Harpe avec accompagnement de Quatuor à cordes, Flûte et Clarinette', as the score puts it. Ravel's genius is in the amazing variety he gets out of the 'accompanying' instruments, from the barest whisper to the richest and most sumptuous textures. And whatever the relative merits of Ravel's and Debussy's music, of the two it's Ravel's Introduction & Allegro which has become the most frequently recorded repertoire staple (and it was the Érard instrument which triumphed over its rival).

10.15
Record of the Week: an outstanding new release.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

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