The saddest piece ever written: Ravel's "Oiseaux Tristes" from Miroirs

[@ElazarY]

absolutely criminal that this amazing insight doesn't have a million views.

[@licoricestic]

"Ravel’s own favorite from the set and the first to be composed - is dedicated to Ravel’s mentor, the Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, who gave the premiere of the suite. Ravel evoked “birds lost in the torpor of a somber forest, during the most torrid hours of summertime.”"

[@Sujkhgfrwqqnvf]

I never would imagine the most torrid hours of summertime for this piece! Always sounds to me like a sad an solitary autumn day with dark clouds haha

[@christianvennemann9008]

​@@SujkhgfrwqqnvfI always imagine lonely birds at night, sad that there are no other birds awake in their area with whom they can sing and have conversations

[@literaine6550]

Beautiful, a poem from nature.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you for watching!

[@nsk5282]

This piece is new to me as well. Truly beautiful expressiveness and impressiveness of the music that you, Cole, so beautifully performed. I like your commentaries very much as well; they always add to and deepen the enjoyment of the music. Great job, as always!

[@grahamtwist]

This is the first time I have heard 'Oiseaux Tristes' by Ravel. For me, it is an extraordinary piece of music with the free structure of the composition giving it an improvisatory feel that is really quite bewitching. I can hear the bird calls high in the trees and imagine the dark forest below, with the music evoking the stifling heat of summer. Sure, melancholy permeates the tonal picture Ravel conjures - though I sense something almost mystical rather than intensely sad in the mood of the music. One thing is for certain, Cole: you can't just play the notes with a focus on technical accuracy. The challenge in this piece is to communicate the artistry being expressed by Ravel. And you succeed wonderfully in a performance that does just that. Your musicianship is awesome, Cole. Listening to you play is so exhilerating. Thank you - and B R A V O ! ❤

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you Graham! Yes, it is subjective of course-and you are quite right that "sad" doesn't quite do justice to the full scope of this piece.

[@nsk5282]

As always, Graham, nobody could've said it better. Thank you for your eloquence!

[@grahamtwist]

@@nsk5282 Ahhh. Too kind - very sweet of you! You know how I adore Cole. His Ravel performances are just exquisite!

[@tonphammusic]

Thank you Cole, for giving me new insight into Miroirs and music in general. These videos would have been immensely helpful when I was going through a Ravel phase and ended up learning pretty much all of his major piano pieces during the pandemic lockdown. For now I’m just glad I have the opportunity to hear these pieces given new life, your performances of Oiseaux tristes and Une barque especially. I’m eager to apply your comments not only to Ravel but with any piece I tackle when the opportunity arises. I definitely made the mistake of following the score too precisely even when there is a clear error, either by the edition or an awkward passage that needs to be altered to be playable. EG, the passage in Une barque with the trill preceding the cascading arpeggios, or errors in the notorious Ondine figuration that somehow made it into the published Durand edition. On the topic of pieces that evoke this sort of stasis in time, Scriabin’s prelude Op.74 No.2 comes to my mind. It’s much shorter than this piece but carries the same atmosphere, and the way it ends leaves it open to be repeated for an eternity. Your videos continue to be a treasure, I hope I can get myself situated enough to suppoort your work eventually.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you so much for your comment! You support my work already by engaging so insightfully with the material.

[@dylankelly5511]

This was really special thank you!

[@EmdrGreg]

Great analysis. If you haven't heard Le Gibet, check it out to get the fantastic contrast Cole talks about.

[@supasayajinsongoku4464]

I really really really like how slow and long the ending was I can really resonate and sympathize how you say the music goes nowhere at the end. Side note: I remember listening to part 2 of george crumbs makromosos at night (this is almost entirely different music btw, loosely related by the piano) and I felt the same way listening to this piece. I looked outside my window, a man, presumably homeless, walking nowhere, he whistles his tune, I veil the window again, turn the light off, and go to sleep.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you! I love the image that you share (and Makrokosmos is amazing also of course).

[@accountname3801]

1:25 I feel the comments on classical piano youtube videos always leave me thinking profoundly. I saw one on a Sorabji piece talking about the non-human qualities of the music which left me deep in thought; I’m sure I could compile an entire book of poetry with the commentary I find on works by even the most obscure composers, which i find simultaneously ridiculous and unsurprising that such things exist on these corners of youtube

[@Tylervrooman]

I actually appreciate the click bait titles... it'll get you more views, which is actually deserved. Thanks!

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Thank you!

[@manuelcardoso7595]

I like his "Une Barque Sur L'ocean" I know it's more cliché and very known, but it really hits hard. And the composition, it's amazing, well, you know Ravel. But he might be average in his home planet

[@TheIndependentPianist]

I like Une barque very much as well-thanks for watching!

[@gvidalq]

Now I can listen how dreadful this piece is. And so beautiful.

[@craggyisland8770]

Great work as always Cole! If I may..suggestions for future videos: Chopin Barcarolle in F# major, op. 60 ….or Schumann Romance, op. 28 no 2

[@GiacomoPhilipp92]

Heinrich Neuhaus said, for him the slow movement of the Hammeklavier sonata. Best regards from Germany, Giacomo.

[@davidsheriff9274]

It's interesting how people hear things differently. I have never thought of this as a sad piece, to me, it's mysterious,it has a theme that it returns to occasionally but in-between,it seems like he is experimenting with A tonality, like some of the Schoenberg piano pieces. For me, if you want to talk about Ravel at his saddest,it has to be the last movement of The Mother Goose Suit, the orchestral version. I remember the first time I heard it I cried, the only other time I ever cried listening to music was when I heard Karen Carpenter sing I Won't Last a Day Without You, but that's another topic altogether. Who are some of your favorite pianists for Ravel?

[@3r7s]

well, as far as i'm concerned, your introduction was more enjoyable than the piece itself.. so a thumb for that! 👍👍 😅

[@danieldelucia12]

What piece is the intro music? It’s so lovely

[@bhsieh3537]

Great video, I love Ravel! Would you ever consider Liszt's Sonetto 104?

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Absolutely! I'll get to the complete Annees de pelerinage eventually.

[@imorange988]

do you know what ABRSM grade this is?

[@FugueObsessed]

Tavener funeral canticle is sadder, so is Gorecki’s Third.

[@user-lb4ew7gr2j]

nice

[@gardensofthegods]

Very beautiful but definitely not the saddest song

[@fryderyckchopin484]

I would like to leave here a suggestion for a future video, since is a work that I am interested in and I have to play in some months, it is the Shostakovich 2nd piano concerto. If anyone here has played it, please let me know. Keep up the good work dear ❤️

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Great piece. I accompanied a colleague with that once, but haven't played the solo yet...

[@fryderyckchopin484]

@@TheIndependentPianist by any chance do you know if he/she has the solo part with finger markings yet? I seriously need it since I have to play this concerto in 2 months

[@TheIndependentPianist]

@@fryderyckchopin484 I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not in contact with that pianist anymore. It was many years ago at school that I accompanied them...

[@fryderyckchopin484]

@@TheIndependentPianist don't worry dear, keep it up with the good videos✨

[@adilivni8688]

​@@fryderyckchopin484 Hi dear chopin. Do you know i made a cd with you and ravel what do you say?

[@aphtwin3593]

12:54

[@b1sing53]

Incredible harmonies. Less sweet than Ravel’s usual harmonies.

[@remomazzetti8757]

Unless you've heard every piece of music ever written, you certainly can't say which is the saddest. Unfortunately KZbin is full of grandiose, pointless statements like this which are nothing more than personal opinion.

[@WaltzTime]

Not meant literally.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Even if you have heard every piece of music ever written, it would still be impossible to say which is the saddest. It is a subjective statement, not an objective one-no need to get personally offended over it!

[@caleblauber1441]

Start at 945. He’s talking until then.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

I always put the timestamp for the start of the performance right at the top of the description box...

[@jackisinforthewin]

his talking is amazing and insight and not something you should skip

[@caleblauber1441]

Ok ok …. Too much damn talking! Play the damn thing already.

[@TheIndependentPianist]

Well the whole point of this channel is to provide analysis and commentary on the pieces and not just another performance. I always provide the timestamp for the performance right at the top of the description box, so that if you aren't interested in the commentary you can skip straight to the music-but if you can't deal with that, then please don't listen! No one is forcing you to watch these videos.

[@caleblauber1441]

@@TheIndependentPianist you’re correct, I can tune out but this was the 1st time I’ve ever watched the video. I’ll skip it next time. Studies reveal that analyzing piano music is simply multiple adverbs & adjectives strewn together. In fact when utilizing a touch sensitive piano w computer graphics, revealed when a pianist was utilizing “soft touch” & “hard touch” etc., all they were doing was holding the note longer. Next time I’ll skip your videos. Thx.

[@katiezhuang9402]

@@TheIndependentPianist Exactly! I personally enjoy listening to people analyse music and really liked your analysis of the work! Not only that but the playing was absolutely beautiful. Ravel is one of my favourite composers and I loved your interpretation; it sounded so solemn, yet you captured this almost… petite feel with your light touch, contrasted with the darker undertones of the harmonies. So thank you for this video! Some people just are just plain rude and spread negativity and so it’s best to not focus on people who won’t appreciate your good work, because I’m sure many people such as myself enjoyed the video very much! :)

[@TheIndependentPianist]

@@katiezhuang9402 Thank you!

[@nsk5282]

@@katiezhuang9402 I totally agree with you!