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Masterclass: Ravel Violin Sonata no.2, second movement ‘Blues’

2024-02-28T09:01:00

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Violinist Curtis Stewart looks at how to get the most from the different styles Ravel used, and how questions that arise from their juxtaposition are arguably more important than answers

One of the classes I teach at Juilliard is on performance practice of the blues and I feel this piece is a perfect place for classical string players to start. Writing in 1927 against a backdrop of industrialisation, Ravel clearly immersed himself in the American jazz that found its way to Paris because he emulates it so well, while framing it within his own language…

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