18/12/2019
During the month of novembre, Josep Pons has released his new album Jeux de miroirs with the label Harmonia Mundi, taking the lead of the Orchestre de Paris and with Javier Perianes as a soloist, with whom Pons has worked closely in many occasions. The album was released into the Spanish market on the 8th of November, and the 29th it saw the international market. Presentations have taken place on the 16th of December in the Instituto Francés of Madrid and later on the 17th of December in the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
This album sums up to the collection of the maestro, that has more than 50 discographic projects, all of them acclaimed by the critics and the audience. The musical director of The Gran Teatre del Liceu has an intense career in the international sphere and has been granted the most prestigious awards, such as the Grammy, the Cannes Awards, the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cross, Le Diapasson d’Or, le Choc de la Musique o le Timbre du Platin.
Now he presents a ‘game of mirrors’ in which he presents a challenge to the listener: to discover the vastness of Ravel through his piano compositions and the orchestral versions that he himself wrote, not translating them literally but creating new works out of the essence of the originals. Pons and Perianes have chosen Alborada del gracioso, Le Tombeau de Couperin and the Concert in G Major, all of them works that play with our sensitive perception. The first piece of the album, Alborada del gracioso, presents itself in the orchestral version, and the piano version is offered as the last track of the album. Similarly, Le Tombeau de Couperin occupies the second track of the album in its piano version, and appears in its orchestral form as the penultimate track. At the center of the album, the Concert in G Major can be found, brilliant and suggestive. This special way of organising the tracks will allow the listeners to appreciate Ravel’s compositive richness and all its shades, in an original album that has been conceived between the pianist and the maestro.
The album demonstrates that it is not possible to establish a hierarchy between piano and orchestral works; instead, they are two sides of the same creation that become master pieces themselves. While the pianistic works have more of a refined technique and a deep exploration of the expressive skills of the interpreter, the sophistication of colours and nuances of the piano pieces become unique through the orchestration process.
The 10th and 11th of January, Josep Pons will conduct the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and Javier Perianes in the interpretation of the Ravel’s Concert in G Major, Alborada del gracioso, the Rapsodie Espagnole, and the Suites nº1 and 2 of El Sombrero de Tres Picos by De Falla.
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