This box, although I say it who shouldn't, is heavy on the charming side of Ravel. A mix of ballet music, orchestral music and a greatest hits of chamber music in a 2 hour and 44 minute package.

For those who hunt for the unreleased recordings we love to feature - we do have a few treats from the late 1980s Vanguard Classics catalog. Sergiu Comissiona's Houston Symphony recordings have not been available in any format since the late 1980s, and this release features performances of Daphnis and Chloe, Suite 2 and La Valse that have not appeared in any format, digital or otherwise since the early 1990s (yes, 30 years).

Now Ravel represents a challenge to us compilers for The Bach Guild - this title was designed to be part of our ongoing 99 cent digital download catalog, so when we create these compilations, we use the 1923 "cutoff" date, where all works published before 1923 are available without copyright. So we can provide those recordings to our customers at the 99 cent price point - which means about half of Ravel's compositions do qualify.

Providing this information also is my sheepish explanation for how we left Bolero off a Ravel compilation.  Bolero was published in 1929...so we'll be able to include it in our compilations in 2025, so stay tuned. Just joking - what we may do is a compilation for streaming only - we had hoped that we could do a version of this release that would have tracks that would be streaming only but it turns out that doesn't work. So much of the solo piano music, chamber music and some late orchestral (the piano concertos, for example) that we do have in our catalog to offer, we can't put on a release designed to be sold for 99 cents.

So a quick rundown of these recordings, for those who hunt:

Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2 - Houston Symphony, Sergiu Comissiona, conductor

Originally released on Vanguard LP VA-25022. Never released on CD, never previously released as digital download or streaming title.

Sonatine en trio (arr. Nickrenz)

Originally released on LP as VA 25022, CD as SVC 148

Release on Bach Guild's "Beautiful Flute"

Piano Trio in A minor, M. 67

Kalichstein - Laredo - Robinson Trio

Original release: e1Classics/Koch Classics "Ravel: Works for Piano, Violin & Cello" - CD and digital

Released on Bach Guild "The Big KLR Trio Box"

String Quartet

Galimir Quartet:  Felix Galimir & Hiroko Yajima, violins;  John Graham, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello

Originally released on LP as VA 25009, on CD as OVC 4049

Released on Bach Guild's "Big Chamber Music Box, Volume 2"

Alborado del gracioso

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona

Originally released on LP VA 25014, CD as OVC 4002

Released digitally as "Historic Series: Ravel - Concerto for Left Hand, Rapsodie Espagnole, Alborado del gracioso" ATM CD 1615

Pavane pour une infante defunte

Houston Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona, conductor

Originally released on Vanguard LP VA-25022. Never released on CD.

Released on Bach Guild's "Big Chill Box"

Violin Sonata No. 1 "Posthumous" in A Minor

Jaime Laredo, Joseph Kalichstein

Original release: e1Classics/Koch Classics "Ravel: Works for Piano, Violin & Cello" - CD and digital

Released on Bach Guild "The Big KLR Trio Box"

Sonata for Violin and Cello in A Minor, M. 73

Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, cello

Original release: e1Classics/Koch Classics "Ravel: Works for Piano, Violin & Cello" - CD and digital

Released on Bach Guild "The Big KLR Trio Box"

Rhapsodie Espagnole, M. 54

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona

Originally released on LP VA 25014, CD as OVC 4002

Released digitally as "Historic Series: Ravel - Concerto for Left Hand, Rapsodie Espagnole, Alborado del gracioso" ATM CD 1615

La valse, M. 72

Houston Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona, conductor

Originally released on Vanguard LP VA-25022. Never released on CD, never previously released as digital download or streaming title.

Piece en forme de Habanera, M. 51

Antonio Janigro, Antonio Beltrami

Originally released on LP Vanguard VCS 10018, CD SVC 80

Released on Bach Guild "Beautiful Cello"