Ravel 150

2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Maurice Ravel. The brilliant Belgian pianist Julien Libeer pays homage to Ravel with an intelligent programme. By juxtaposing three of Ravel’s works with piano pieces by three other composers, Libeer offers a fresh perspective on Ravel’s legacy. Libeer made quite an impression at the Muziekgebouw a few years ago when he performed the Bach tribute The Well-Tempered Songbook with Cappella Amsterdam: ‘Downright sensational’, wrote Klassik Heute.

Honesty and creativity are core values for Libeer, who is a fan of the Grote Zaal of the Muziekgebouw. His interpretations are always sublime and tasteful. Tonight, in addition to Ravel’s finest piano music, Libeer plays music by baroque composer Louis Couperin and the American George Gershwin. For Ravel, French baroque and jazz were important influences. George Crumb, composer of a unique and hauntingly beautiful oeuvre, could be called one of Ravel’s 20th-century heirs.