Friday, April 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
My Interview with Maurice Ravel by Pierre Sovony
Bon jour and welcome to the Sovony show. I am Pierre Sovony and on the show today we have Mr. Maurice Ravel. Mr. Maurice Ravel is a French Pianist.
Ravel: Bon jour, Mr. Sovony.
Sovony: Mr. Ravel, how did you get interested in music?
Ravel: Well Mr. Sovony, my mother was Swiss. She would sing me songs in Spanish and I began to love the sound of music. I would begin to listen to the melody of the song.
Sovony: What kinds of things or people made you want to get started in piano?
Ravel: As I said before, my mother. But then I started to hear other piano players. Hearing them made me interested.
Sovony: How was the time period of music for you?
Ravel: The time was good. Every child wanted to play some sort of instrument. It came to be the time for a war. Most performers had to take a break and go into the army.
Sovony: In your time of work was it hard to become known?
Ravel: There were a few struggles. It was a challenge but I got through it.
Sovony: How did the major cultural, economic, and political situations of the time impact your work?
Ravel: There were always small problems with money but when I became known it was no problems. I had my mother and father there to help me.
Sovony: What accomplishments have you made that you are proud of? What methods of learning and playing the piano did you use?
Ravel: One of the pieces I am most proud of is Boleˊro, played by Harpist Denise Herbecht.
Sovony: What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life?
Ravel: Well I had the opportunity to serve my country. I had many great pianists come before me.
Sovony: What kind of things did you have to give up to become successful?
Ravel: I had to give up the idea of a family. I could not have a wife and kids.
Sovony: Why couldn’t you have kids? Was it just a life choice?
Ravel: It was a life choice because I traveled a lot. I was always going place to place. I moved back and forth a lot. I would not have a stable family if I did have one.
Sovony: What kinds of things slowed you down in your career?
Ravel: The war put a big break in my composing. The war put a break in a lot of people’s life and work.
Sovony: What limitation did you have as an artist and a person?
Ravel: I really didn’t have any. The only thing was that my family is not a musical family. They enjoyed music and the sound of it, but none of them played a instrument.
Sovony: What do you have to show for becoming a successful pianist?
Ravel: I have the title of one of the best pianists that came out of France.
Sovony: Thank you for joining me on the show.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Me by Katemi Plaque
Plaque, Katemi. http://www.ioffer.com/i/Katemi-Plaque-Maurice-Ravel-199564502. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2011.
Me in San Francisco while Oxford University awarded with an honorary doctorate
![[1875RavelGershwinBetter.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdsz91HIk2HT8FfZAYDmvVIoZNT3h3YD27iqDMJl2b1r-BOSA6LOyJGhGA5GC6HU9kmIgB8DLSJnJ7t9OJPigELtwjbxepJZvDO26lhXYoU9YMLN7302T5dSaZX8iMzug7DHNdRP5Uf_F/s1600/1875RavelGershwinBetter.jpg)
"music history." http://markalburgermusichistory.blogspot.com/2008/07/maurice-ravel-1875-1937-pavanne.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2011.
1930 RARE FRENCH ART MEDAL of me
"Ebay." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2011. <http://cgi.ebay.com/1930-RARE-FRENCH-ART-MEDAL-MAURICE-RAVEL-COMPOSER-/230537479150>.
When Bartók, me, and Rachmaninoff came to Portland
Bash, James. "When Bartók, Ravel, and Rachmaninoff came to Portland." music millennium. N.p., 07 12 10. Web. 26 Mar 2011. <http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2010/07/12/47852/>.
Nijinsky and I at the piano 1914 from the collection
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home.btclick.com/geffers/color.htm. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2011. <http://>.
Me sitting at my piano.
Auden, W.H. "ravel maurice." www.mauriceravel.com/biography.php. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2011. <http://>.
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