Berlioz. Ravel

The two Piano Concerti by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) are among the most significant works in the genre. First turning to the concerto genre towards the end of his career as late as 1929–1931, Ravel was drawn by the search for various possible resolutions within one and the same genre. He worked on both concerti at the same time. Ravel found this to be particularly engaging.
It is interesting that when he was in the process of composing the First Concerto in G Major the composer’s plans were constantly changing. It is known, for example, that he initially proposed to conclude the concerto with pianissimo and trills, while in fact it ends with forte and octaves. The composer himself said of his work that “This is a concerto in the precise meaning of the word, in the spirit of the concerti of Mozart or Saint-Saëns.” According to Ravel, the music in a work of this genre “may be merry and dazzling; but it is not a necessity that it must claim depth or drama.”