Vlado Perlemuter - Ravel: Piano Works (1996)

On this two-disc set, some listeners will find that quintessential sound associated with Ravel's and Debussy's music. Vlado Perlemuter gave all of these Ravel piano works those large washes of sound that are soft and deep enough to sink into. In Miroirs, "Noctuelles" is finely delicate and clear, waves are gently lapping in "Une Barque sur l'Océan," and "Vallé de cloches" is wonderfully atmospheric. The atmospherics continue in Gaspard de la Nuit. Ravel's neo-Classical works fill up the second disc, and while these are also quite lovely, the glowing tones may not please those who prefer Le tombeau de Couperin and the Menuets are crisper and less picturesque and moody (i.e. more Classical sounding). Perlemuter was in his mid-seventies when he made these recordings in 1979, and there are a few minor flubs in the faster passages. Yet he still had enough control over his hands to create smooth tones and shifting colors and to beautifully shape the music.