Pedro de Freitas Branco et Ravel : une analyse critique de quelques enregistrements

Abstract

Pedro de Freitas Branco (1896-1963) was seen by his contemporaries as Ravel’s favourite conductor; indeed the French composer asked F. Branco to share with him the artistic direction of a concert in Paris, in which his Concerto en sol was to be premiered, in early 1932. Their friendship and artistic collaboration continued to grow thereafter. The present study analyses some of the extant recordings of Freitas Branco conducting Ravel’s works and discusses some features of his interpretations that may explain the composer’s admiration for his artistic personality.