Ondine vs. Jeux d'eau?!
Question: Ondine vs!. Jeux d'eau!?
By what I have read, many consider the Ondine movement from Gaspard de la nuit transcendentally more difficult than Jeux d'eau(both pieces by Ravel), despite the fact that the pieces contain many of the same technical difficulties!. In your opinion, what makes Ondine more difficult to play correctly!?Www@Enter-QA@Com
Answers:
The very first passage of Ondine, just the right hand, is enough to indicate how much harder it is than Jeux d'Eau!. The prime pattern that the right hand plays is hard enough as a tremolo (just alternating between the chord and the single note every other beat), but Ravel wrote a rhythm that requires the thumb to play the bottom note twice in a row!. There are two possible interpretations of this: first, you could make this passage impressionistic, background sound, which would mean that the notes have to be perfectly equal in length and volume, making a sound continuum; alternately, you could bring out the bottom note a bit more to hear the rhythmic dum, da-dum da-dum pattern, which is an even harder feat to balance dynamically!. At any rate, that passage is one that even seasoned pianists have to work hard at getting solid and toned just right, to impress the image of water splashing against a window!. I suppose this is simply because it is so fast, and because of the slightly irregular rhythm, which renders the wrist trick (which I have mentioned in answers for you before) almost obsolete!.
Both pieces have arpeggios, but the ones in Water Games are single notes most of the time, while in Ondine they're chordal and often involve little snippits of the original rhythm from the right hand!. In Jeux d'Eau, many of the technical passages are designed to fit the hand, including the choice of key (E major)!. Additionally, Ondine uses a considerably wider range of the keyboard, moving up and down it quicker and farther!. It has a greater range of dynamic contrasts, and considerably more impressionistic artistic challenges, such as sticking to the 'programme' story of Ondine and her lover, without making the piece entirely programatic!.
Furthermore, I have some statistics for you (not really 'statistics', I guess!.!.!.); Most aspiring pianists who learn Jeux d'Eau learn it first (or are first capable of learning it) at age 13-15!. Ondine is usually not played until the student is about to graduate high school, or for a college recital!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Both pieces have arpeggios, but the ones in Water Games are single notes most of the time, while in Ondine they're chordal and often involve little snippits of the original rhythm from the right hand!. In Jeux d'Eau, many of the technical passages are designed to fit the hand, including the choice of key (E major)!. Additionally, Ondine uses a considerably wider range of the keyboard, moving up and down it quicker and farther!. It has a greater range of dynamic contrasts, and considerably more impressionistic artistic challenges, such as sticking to the 'programme' story of Ondine and her lover, without making the piece entirely programatic!.
Furthermore, I have some statistics for you (not really 'statistics', I guess!.!.!.); Most aspiring pianists who learn Jeux d'Eau learn it first (or are first capable of learning it) at age 13-15!. Ondine is usually not played until the student is about to graduate high school, or for a college recital!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
The right hand in Ondine is a *****!. nuff said!.Www@Enter-QA@Com