This set of Ravel’s piano solo works is the most complete up to date, as it contains both Ravel’s transcription of La Valse, and the little known La Parade. Fortunately this is not the main attraction of this issue, that being the superlative quality of Francois Dumont’s playing. His pianism is of the highest order, a virtuosity which doesn’t want to impress for its own sake, but a means of conveying the wonderful harmonics, colours and atmospheres of these works of genius. Dumont lets each work grow organically under his hands, bringing out the inner logic, power and beauty, eschewing all extravagance or exhibitionism (Ravel himself wanted his works “to be played, not interpreted”). An ideal performance, if such does exist. The recording puts the Steinway in a rich acoustic without sacrificing any detail. Francois Dumont is one of the most interesting pianists of his generation, a prize winner of several international competitions, notably the recent Chopin Competition, where his performance in the finals made a lasting impression.
