Inside Chamber Music with Bruce Adolphe: Ravel Quartet in F major for Strings

Bruce Adolphe, CMS resident lecturer
Maurice Ravel: Quartet in F major for Strings (1902-03)
Filmed live in the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio on February 8, 2017.
Artists: The Escher String Quartet (Adam Barnett-Hart, Aaron Boyd, violin; Pierre Lapointe, viola; Brook Speltz, cello).

[@surrealjean]

A musical and compelling analysis presented with a sense of humour. Inspiring.

[@PatPixs]

Chapeau Mr. Adolphe, what a wonderful lecture on this wonderful piece, beautifully supported by the Esher Quartet! One little correction at 12.00 min. where Beethoven is mentioned to have written a composition in which he uses the Locrian mode, Mr. Adolphe means the Lydian mode (15th string quartet, 3rd mov. Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an der Gottheit, in der Lydischen Tonart.).

[@fcamiola]

Thank you so much for this! As a Ravel fanatic and musician/teacher, these lectures are pure gold. You have a very natural way of explaining the genius and brilliance of Ravel, and in a manner that basically anybody who is interested in this music can at least appreciate on some level. As a teacher, I can positively confirm that it is a gift to be able to use humor and explain the intended subject matter in order to make it fun, inspiring, and interesting for people, and you have succeeded on a very high level. Kudos and congratulations, and my sincerest appreciation and thanks. I would love to see you do some Sibelius someday if you ever had the opportunity! Cheers. ~Frank

[@geneosis]

Thank for thoses wonderful lectures. I'm just an "amateur", i have no technical knowledge in matter of music, but i LOVE Debussy and Ravel, and i learn a lot listening Bruce's lectures. It's a real pleasure. (Sorry for my poor english, i'm french)

[@stynway59]

And beautify so

[@wheresteamlives]

You have noting to apologize for, and I share everything that you said!

[@richardjchandler]

Bruce Adolphe, a wonderful composer, lectures, with lots of musical examples, about Ravel's String Quartet in F major, giving great insights into Ravel and his compositional language.

[@oliverblaylock4642]

I love this speaker!

[@yasminfainsteinpiano]

Thanks, CMS and Bruce Adolphe!!! This is a luxury :)

[@TallerdelSebaRehbein]

Thanks, very inspiring... it's pure gold when knowledge meets passion for music

[@joezempel]

wow this is great. love the breakdown of the piece.

[@rl7651]

Many wonderful insights and explanations into the world of harmony and its intoxicating power in music with the focus on what Ravel conceived of in his mind- a fresh world of sound that comes to life through Bruce Adolphe's perceptive and lucid and often humorous talk. Bravo to him and to the wonderful Escher Quartet for their sensitive and probing interpretation!

[@musicfirst5020]

Escher has one of the loveliest sounds of any quartet out there.

[@michaeltilley8708]

Love this Bruce, memories of a delightful evening in Loveland CO years ago. Brilliantly elucidated. I was thinking about the sort of nonfunctional repetition of bar 9 etc that it is a bit reminiscent of the ‘Pastoral’ 1st mvt (same key!)

[@gerrydempsey2490]

Wonderful talk. Given the crack about 40s films, I can't wait till you reveal the secrets of Rosza.

[@FREIMUZIC]

AMAZING LECTURE!!! Brilliant!!

[@mysticmouse7261]

Now I have explanations for the sumptuous beauties which , that is, the explanations, I never needed. What a difference between music and its analysis.

[@KimieNg17]

Wonderful! i hope you give a lecture on the chamber music by Schumann!

[@nidhishshivashankar4885]

I wish he talked about the second movement that’s my favorite part

[@ValentinaSmirnova9]

Wonderful!

[@Symphing12]

André Gédalge has this great book on counterpoint and fugue. I didn't realize he knew Ravel!

[@carbonc6065]

1:01:44 is wonderful and 1:02:03 to the end is sublime ... Awesome.

[@ManuelValenzuela]

11:56 he talks about the 3rd movement of Beethoven's String Quartet no. 15, called "...in the Lydian mode" (not locrian)

[@ulver1881]

I like the speaker! So funny! Xxx

[@alextinlin4347]

That's a really interesting-looking viola Pierre Lapointe is playing.

[@gavincannon8385]

10:51 Can someone explain the Ravel chord to me? How to build it? - 'cause Gawd-damn it sounds good!

[@fiddler1094]

1 b3 5 9

[@iaf4454]

The first violinist is so handsome and plays beautiful....it is so hard to concentrate in the lecture hahaha

[@fiddeou]

What distracted me is actually how much Bruce Adolphe looks like Alexandre Desplat

[@inaquiilarragorri]

what's the name of the school he mentions around 19:16 ?

[@chambermusicsociety]

The name of the school is École Niedermeyer de Paris and it was founded by Louis Niedermeyer in 1853.

[@inaquiilarragorri]

@@chambermusicsociety thank you, and these uploads are just marvelous, thank you for that too!

[@ulver1881]

42:38