Ravel’s L’aurore (‘Dawn’) is a rarity indeed. It was composed in 1905 during a difficult time for the Ravel family, as in that year a ‘Whirlwind of Death’ ride invented by the composer’s father was launched at the Casino de Paris but was soon shut down following a fatal accident.
This short piece for solo tenor, mixed choir and orchestra was composed for the preliminary round of the Prix de Rome, the most prestigious competition at the Paris Conservatoire. Ravel transcends the dull poem by an anonymous author with imaginative instrumental touches and shimmering textures; it builds up to a dramatic climax and ends suddenly.
Despite his confident handling of the large forces, Ravel was not selected as a finalist for the competition. In fact, unlike Ravel, all six of the successful competitors were students of Charles Lenepveu, who just happened to be on the jury. Ravel would also have been aware that he was occasionally breaking the rules of traditional harmonic part-writing, and he was even criticised for using trombones in a quiet passage: Lenepveu believed the heavy brass should only be used at loud volume. Nevertheless, L’aurore can now be considered characteristic of French music of the turn of the 20th century and an intriguing addition to Ravel’s worklist.
Programme note © Caroline Potter
