Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from CDA67341/2

Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn

composer
completed on 12 September 1909; makring the anniversary of the death of Haydn

Angela Hewitt (piano)
Recording details: August 2001
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Ludger Böckenhoff
Engineered by Ludger Böckenhoff
Release date: April 2002
Total duration: 2 minutes 0 seconds

Cover artwork: Near St Tropez (1892). Hubert de la Rochefoucauld
Galerie L'Ergasterre, Paris / Bridgeman Images
 

Other recordings available for download

Steven Osborne (piano)

Reviews

‘Angela Hewitt plumbs Ravel's paradoxical qualities to perfection in this superb set. This magnificent survey … a treasure trove! Angela Hewitt joins Gieseking, Rogé, Thibaudet and Lortie among the most distinguished if entirely different Ravel cycles on record, and easily withstands comparison in such exalted company’ (Gramophone)

‘This newcomer from Hyperion is second to none and will now probably be a first choice for many collectors’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘Hewitt’s is, unlike a number of other versions of Ravel’s œuvre, a highly worthwhile venture, full of stylish, intelligent playing’ (International Record Review)

‘Ravel trickles fluently through her fingers’ (The Times)

‘Hewitt reveals textural detail rarely heard in other performances … a thought-provoking set’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Delighful’ (The Scotsman)

‘Unique qualities of tone, style, and conscientious craftsmanship’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Hewitt’s control of tone colour is exemplary and the piano sound is warm and rounded … I recommend these discs to those wishing to acquaint themselves with some of Ravel’s lesser-known piano works as well as the more popular favourites’ (Pianist)

‘This is revelatory playing … Hewitt is never anything other than stimulating, probing, characterful and sensitive to both the individual nuance and broader perspective of each piece’ (International Piano)

‘She gets beneath the exotic surfaces of these pieces to expose their compelling musical structures’ (Music Week)

‘With these magnificent pieces, ranging from the well-known Gaspard de la Nuit to real curiosities, Hewitt proves her point: her colour range is vast, her touch compelling’ (The Sunday Express)

‘The restrained gestures, the delicate melodic ornaments, the harpsichord-like figurations, the subtle dance rhythms, the finely-balanced and beautifully engineered structures: Hewitt’s attention to such exquisite details is perfect’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Ravishingly beautiful and artistically satisfying … the whole is an offering not to be missed’ (Musical Opinion)

‘Hewitt’s finest work in this collection easily ranks with the catalog’s top contenders and deserves serious consideration’ (Classics Today)

«Ce qu’on observe d’abord en écoutant son intégrale Ravel, c’est son exactitude, sa précision, sa fidélité au texte» (Le Monde de la Musique, France)

„Revelatory playing that comprehensively challenges current perceived standards of Ravel keyboard interpretation to set alongside the greatest of the past masters … a landmark set that offers unbound opportunities to learn, discover and delight in“ (Piano, Germany)
In the summer of 1909 the journalist Jules Ecorcheville asked a number of leading French composers each to write a short piano piece in honour of Haydn, who died on 31 May 1809. The form was left up to them, but they were asked to make use of a five-note motto theme (B–A–D–D–G) representing the name Haydn. This was just the sort of game Ravel enjoyed playing and on 12 September 1909 he wrote to Ecorcheville, ‘Le menuet est confectionné’—the term used by tailors cutting a suit. The motto theme duly appears as above, then backwards and upside down, before two final recto appearances in the treble and, in the concluding bars, in the bass.

from notes by Roger Nichols © 2011

Au cours de l’été 1909, le journaliste Jules Ecorcheville a demandé à plusieurs grands compositeurs français d’écrire chacun une courte pièce pour piano en l’honneur de Haydn, mort le 31 mai 1809. Le choix de la forme était libre, mais ils devaient utiliser un thème imposé de cinq notes (si–la–ré–ré–sol) représentant le nom de Haydn. C’était exactement le genre de jeu auquel Ravel aimait se livrer et le 12 septembre 1909 il a écrit à Ecorcheville, «Le menuet est confectionné»—terme utilisé par les tailleurs. Le thème imposé apparaît bien comme prévu, puis à reculons et sens dessus dessous, avant deux ultimes apparitions recto dans l’aigu et, dans les dernières mesures, à la basse.

extrait des notes rédigées par Roger Nichols © 2011
Français: Marie-Stella Pâris

Im Sommer des Jahres 1909 bat der Journalist Jules Ecorcheville mehrere führende französische Komponisten, jeweils ein kurzes Klavierstück zu Ehren von Haydn zu schreiben, der am 31. Mai 1809 gestorben war. Die Form war ihnen selbst überlassen, doch sollten sie ein fünftöniges Motto (H–A–D–D–G) verwenden, das für den Namen Haydn stand. Dies war eine Aufgabe nach Ravels Geschmack und am 12. September 1909 schrieb er Ecorcheville: „Le menuet est confectionné“—der Ausdruck, den Schneider bei der Anfertigung eines Anzugs verwenden. Das Motto erscheint ordnungsgemäß wie oben, dann rückwärts und umgedreht, bevor es noch zweimal vornherum in der Oberstimme und, in den letzten Takten, in der Bassstimme erscheint.

aus dem Begleittext von Roger Nichols © 2011
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Music
CDA67731/22CDs
Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...