IN DIALOGUE WITH IMPRESSIONISM: JEUX D’EAU BY MAURICE RAVEL
IN DIALOGUE WITH IMPRESSIONISM: JEUX D’EAU BY MAURICE RAVEL

Summary/Abstract: Jeux d’eau, created in 1901, is Ravel’s first piano masterpiece, that of a 26-year-old composer who has just left the Conservatoire. The work surprises with the charm of writing, the playfulness of expression, the maturity of creative thinking and the complexity of elaboration. Beyond the fact that it marks a turning point in Ravel’s career, it is no exaggeration to say that it is both a milestone for piano literature in general and for the impressionist one. Our study focuses on the analysis of Ravel’s writing style and construction in the mirror of musical Impressionism, pointing out, where appropriate, the innovations that foreshadow representative compositional solutions for the avant-garde of the first half of the 20th century and beyond.

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