Ravel's 'Gaspard de la Nuit', The Most Difficult Piece Written for Piano

 by George C

Preface:

Giving this work the title as the ‘most difficult piece written for piano’ will of course spark some debate amongst pianists as many other pieces have the same status, such as Franz Liszt’s Transcendental Étude No. 5 in B♭ major, "Feux follets" which is renowned for its fast double note passages or Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B♭ major (More well known as the Hammaklavier Sonata) with it's particularly challenging fugue in the 4th movement to name a few. Despite the difference in opinions regarding this matter however, I still believe that it can be conclusively stated that Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit” is amongst the most demanding pieces in all of piano repertoire for its level of musicality required to effectively perform its second movement “Le Gibet” and passages in the third movement, “Scarbo” which can be described as nothing short of virtuosic amongst many other reasons discussed going forward.

Conceived in the early 20th century during the peak of the Impressionist movement in France, Maurice Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit” framed itself as both an astounding technical and musical challenge to be overcome by only the most virtuosic pianists of the time. The three movement project is based on a series of poems by Aloysius Bertrand, namely ‘Ondine’, ‘Le Gibet’ and ‘Scarbo’ for which the first, second and third movements are named after respectively, and reflects the themes and imagery presented in Bertrand’s work through Ravel’s composition.

I will be predominantly focusing on the first of the three movements, ‘Ondine’ as I believe it acts as a middle ground between the two other movements, offering both an equally difficult musical and technical challenge. It is also the only movement of the 3 which I have spent a substantial amount studying and learning to play myself so I will be able to back up my analysis with my own personal experience with this movement.

To begin, the climax of the piece, about half way through, consists of the left and right hand covering an incredibly large range, 5 and a half octaves between them to be specific, in the span of a quaver beat whilst playing a 7 into 6 polyrhythm. This idea is repeated 7 times with other polyrhythms including 7 into 5, 6 into 7, 6 into 5 and played on various other 9th and 13th chords in a descending pattern. The need to change the position of your hands multiple times every second, as well as having to put your hand into what I found to be very awkward positions makes this section particularly difficult to execute effectively. The final few measures of this movement features a cadenza-like passage, with incredibly fast arpeggiated passages played in similar motion by both hands simultaneously in many different keys and inversions. Similar to before, it's the constant shifting hand positions and shapes required to play this passage which makes it particularly challenging. Lastly, the first 14 measures of the piece are what I believe to be the most technically challenging part of the whole movement. The difficulty doesn't come from complex polyrhythms nor is it found in any flashy runs, instead it's quite the opposite. This opening to the piece follows a simple rhythmic pattern repeated throughout the whole 14 measures and doesn't demand any significant changes in hand position and shape, making the notes themself very easy to play. The difficulty instead however lies in the dynamics. The whole bar section is marked to be played as pianississimo (triple piano) and not a single note should be emphasised more than another, making for an incredibly challenging section to articulate. This creates a very specific timbre which is reminiscent of an image of calm, shimmering water which is immensely difficult to pull off effectively.

Technical prowess isn’t enough however to effectively perform this piece, as a profound sense of musicality is imperative to encapsulate the essence of an impressionist work. Its title “Ondine” refers to a mythological water nymph so the idea of water’s fluidity and beauty but also power and mystery should all be conveyed throughout the piece, as if you are telling a story through your playing. Picking up from where I left off, the idea of shimmering water should be conveyed to a listener in the opening passage in order to effectively act as an opening to the piece, taking the role as a ‘calm before the storm’ to come. I like to imagine the previously mentioned climax of the piece as an aggressive and forceful torrent which needs to be played fortissimo, as marked, yet still be clear and well articulated in spite of the frequent accidentals played by the left hand. The addition of the aforementioned polyrhythms in this section only make it more chaotic and difficult to play in such a way that simultaneously conveys this chaos and tension whilst still sounding coherent and expressive

Overall, Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit stands as a formidable pinnacle of piano repertoire, offering both technical and interpretive challenges for which I believe creates an innate sense of beauty and gives me an increased appreciation for the piece. This work acts as a testament to Ravel’s genius and artistry and its rare that you ever come across a piece whos virtuosity doesn't become an end to itself but instead enhances the haunting beauty for which it is able to create