On Sunday, March 1, at 3 p.m., join The Oracle Piano Society for Picturing Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit, A Musical Soliloquy at SaddleBrooke II, 39900 S. Clubhouse Dr. in Tucson.
Gaspard de la Nuit, the book originally penned by Aloysius Bertrand – or, according to Bertrand’s introduction, coming from the devil – is a collection of gothic poetry and over 70 tableaux depicting angels, fairies, ghouls and goblins in a medieval setting. It is world famous and has inspired artwork of varying sorts, including Ravel’s compositions of the same title which contains three scenes of fantasy and the macabre selected from the book.
Have you read the poems? Here is a small sampling from Ondine. “ Each wave is a water sprite who swims in the stream, each stream is a footpath that winds towards my palace, and my palace is a fluid structure, at the bottom of the lake, in a triangle of fire, of earth and of air.”
Of Gaspard de la Nuit, Maurice Ravel said: “Gaspard has been a devil in coming, but that is only logical since it was he who is the author of the poems. My ambition is to say with notes what a poet expresses with words.” As Ravel also intended, the Scarbo movement has made the piece famous for its technical difficulty and profound construction, and, certainly, more difficult than anything composed by Balakirev.
The word Gaspard is taken from the Persian and means “the man who guards the royal treasures”. The name Gaspard de Nuit, as a whole, alludes to that which is dark, mysterious, and, precious; many translate the title as “Sorcerer of the Night”. Any way you translate it, it is a fitting name for a piece that is so difficult that it has driven some pianists mad with frustration. It is called the most difficult piano work ever written, requiring “wrists of steel, fingers with eyes in them.” It is a work of transcendent virtuosity and stunning imagination, and, it is the focal point of this March 1 concert featuring The Oracle Piano Society’s own founder and Artistic Director, Dr. Stephen Cook.
Keeping in line with the Oracle Piano’s Society’s mission to promote artistic fusion, Cook will punctuate his piano performances with silent film footage and recitations of Bertrand’s poetry. Also on program: Ravel’s Sonatine accompanied by Cook’s own selections from Bertrand’s writings.
Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.saddlebrooketwo.com. Call 520-825-2818 for more information. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Students may attend free with an ID. To learn more about the Oracle Piano Society, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oraclepianosociety.