Claire Chevallier, Anima Etern, Jos van Immerseel - Ravel: Bolero, Pavane, Concerto for the left hand, La Valse (2006)

The listener may see the phrase "piano Erard 1905" on the cover of this album of Ravel works and wonder whether the historical performance movement has really gone too far. And truly this is, at least from a modern standpoint, an unusual and even bizarre Ravel recording. It's not so much the Erard piano, which sounds as though it was made to play Fauré and Debussy, but is not so far from other concert grands. What's strange is the general interpretation by Flemish historical keyboardist Jos van Immerseel, known mostly for his performances of music from the eighteenth and perhaps the early nineteenth centuries. Most unusual of all is Boléro, which is taken very slowly and kept to an absolutely metronomic tempo. Dudley Moore and Bo Derek wouldn't even have gotten their shirts off to this version, but Immerseel, in notes to his Anima Eterna ensemble reproduced in the booklet, provides some evidence that this was how Ravel intended the piece. Indeed, everything these performers do is thoroughly explained and extremely well executed. The Concerto for the Left Hand, with Claire Chevallier (owner of the Erard) on piano, may be the most generally effective; the work in her hands is dark and resonant and gloomy, very much a cousin to La Valse, which closes out the program. All the tempi are on the slow side, and this does bring out details like the considerable jazz influence on Boléro. Ultimately, with recordings like this one, you pay your money and you take your choice, but listeners are advised to make sure they know what they're getting into here.