David Guerchovitch & Slava Guerchovitch - Ravel Imaginaire (2025)

In Imaginaire, brothers David and Slava Guerchovitch bring together two of Ravel's most beguiling and imaginative works for violin and piano, the Violin Sonata No 2 and Tzigane, alongside a piano arrangement of his enchanting Ma mere l'Oye.

Violinist David Guerchovitch is first concert master of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, while pianist Slava Guerchovitch's Odradek debut Born in Monaco explored their rich musical heritage. In Imaginaire, the brothers seek to illuminate this repertoire with a fresh approach, shedding where possible the baggage of established interpretations. For the Violin Sonata, they drew inspiration from the manuscript of the first performance, which contains not only the indications of Ravel, but also of George Enescu, the first interpreter of the sonata and a great friend of the composer, with whom he had studied. They also find parallels between each movement and other compositions by Ravel: the dreamy first movement reminiscent of Ma mère l'Oye; the second movement of the harmonies ofL'enfant et les sortilèges; the last movement in the insistent rhythms and abrupt ending of Boléro.

Jacques Louis Albert Charlot, composer and close friend of Ravel, made the transcription of Ma mere l'Oye featured on this recording. Approved by Ravel himself, this transcription reproduces the work in its final form, that of the ballet created in 1912. Charlot was killed in the Great War and Ravel paid tribute to him in the dedication of his 'Prelude' from Le tombeau de Couperin. Charlot's transcription requires one or two additional hands for the execution of the additional staves in the first two movements, making public performance virtually impossible. Here, thanks to Odradek's recording technology, Slava records the additional voices separately, then combines them with the main voice.

Ravel's Tzigane is a work that embodies his imagination through its vibrant and passionate evocation of Romanian and Hungarian cultures. Its improvisatory character is determined by rigorous rhythmic notations, which the brothers were able to observe on the manuscript itself, kept in their hometown of Monaco. These often ignored indications allowed them to take a new approach to this undoubted classic.

David Guerchovitch, violin
Slava Guerchovitch, piano

TRACKLIST

1. Slava Guerchovitch;David Guerchovitch - Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77: I. Allegretto
2. Slava Guerchovitch;David Guerchovitch - Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77: II. Blues. Moderato
3. Slava Guerchovitch;David Guerchovitch - Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, M. 77: III. Perpetuum mobile. Allegro
4. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: I. Prélude. Très lent (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
5. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: II. Danse du rouet et scène. Allegro (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
6. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: III. Pavane de la belle au bois dormant. Lent (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
7. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: IV. Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête. Mouvement de Valse. Modéré (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
8. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: V. Petit poucet. Très modéré (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
9. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: VI. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes. Mouvement de marche (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
10. Slava Guerchovitch - Ma mère l’Oye, M. 62: VII. Apothéose. Le jardin féerique. Lent et grave (Transcr. for solo piano by Jacques Charlot)
11. Slava Guerchovitch;David Guerchovitch - Tzigane, rapsodie de concert in D Major, M. 76