Associated with Impressionism, the French grandmaster Maurice Ravel is undoubtedly one of the greatest composers of the last century. His compatriot Charles Baudelaire, on the other hand, is considered one of the most influential poets of the 19th century and the pioneer of Symbolism. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, Arta Arnicāne, Swiss-based Latvian pianist, laureate of many international competitions and a true expert on Ravel's music, has teamed up with one of Latvia's finest actors, Gundars Āboliņš, to combine the unsurpassed musical wizard’s masterpieces with the rebel’s poetry.
The Pavana, interwoven with melancholy and deeply touching, contrasts magnificently with the splashing fountains and sparkling light of the opus Jeux d'eau, while the Sonatine, embodying classical values, resonates beautifully with the iconic piano cycles Miroirs and Gaspard de la nuit. A boat at the ocean and bells chiming in the distance, twinkling moths, the eeriness of the gallows, nocturnal phantoms and a heart full of love, sorrowful birds and an enthralling water nymph are just some of the images that Ravel’s picturesque art of the piano evokes in one’s imagination.