Ravel Miroirs: La vallée des cloches (The Valley of Bells), performance and analysis

7:48 to skip to the complete performance
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[@WaltzTime]

Everyone who studies, plays, inhabits the world of music is blessed by a thousand angels!

[@grahamtwist]

What an extraordinary composition and what an exquisite performance, Cole. Just stunning: bravo! (I am currently in the heart of Firenze, Tuscany (!), and daily I have been listening to the bells ring out across the city. But nothing like the bells captured here by Ravel! Music that is so very French . . . and just wondeful. Thank you!)

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you Graham! Enjoy your time in Firenze!

[@CaptainWafflos]

thank you for this! the recordings i grew up with were played at much higher tempo for the beginning section which makes the intro chords almost ondine-like in difficulty. i think i prefer a slower tempo for that section and your video inspired me to pick this back up!

[@eliseantys2040]

I'm so happy to have found your analysis, I've been searching for it for quite a while,this piece is fascinating, with a deeper understanding of music I have a better understanding of why it sounded quite complex
Keep up your great work 👏🏼💐😊

[@kerinbailey2470]

Great insights here - and beautifully played. Thanks!

[@matthewsouthwell]

Thank you so much for this performance and analysis. Im studying this piece and you have saved me hours of research

[@notrueflagshere198]

This is very nice close-eyed and calm.

[@tommyvercetti1827]

Very good analysis to a very beautiful piece! I feel like this piece is very underrated.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Yes I definitely agree. It’s always the understated pieces that tend to get overlooked. Thank you for commenting!

[@santimontali]

Amazing, really appreciate this! Thanks for the great performance and in depth explanation of the piece

[@ValentinaSmirnova9]

Thank you! Very interesting!

[@nandovancreij]

love how long it took for the sound to die out in the end

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you 🙏. You can’t wait too long at the end of this one!

[@angelmeneg6507]

❤️

[@Bigblackpiano]

Masterfully played. It reminds in spots of le cathedral englouti...but...better

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you! Interesting comparison, you are quite right. Although as for "better" who can say?

[@Bigblackpiano]

@@TheIndependentPianist both are lovely, yes!

[@Bigblackpiano]

@@TheIndependentPianist question as you seem to have played a lot of ravel. I learned the full sonatine and what makes sense to do next..I've done the menuet sur le nom d'Haydn and don't care for couperin...

[@TheIndependentPianist]

@@Bigblackpiano Well among the easier pieces, there is the Prelude, and the C# minor minuet, as well as the ever popular "Pavane pour une infante défunte." I also love the two pieces "À la manière de Borodin et Chabrier." None of those would take you long.
The next hardest big set is probably "Valses nobles et sentimentales," which is beautiful and hardly played. For a shorter piece that is very challenging there is also Jeux d'eau.
Unfortunately there is kind of an enormous increase in difficulty between most of Ravel's output and Miroirs and Gaspard...

[@febepeeters02]

It begins actually in g# frygian :)