Piano Trio – Maurice Ravel

For the November-December 2023 issue, Strings magazine's Editor Megan Westberg writes about cellist Alexander Hersh’s new project, Absinthe, which raises a glass to that particular verdant spirit. All of the repertoire on the album was written around the time in which bans of absinthe were sweeping Europe and, indeed, the world.

Written just before the French ban of absinthe, Ravel's Piano Trio in A minor may have represented Hersh’s most difficult mental challenge. “Ravel’s piano trio is a massive work, and one of the challenges in recording something like that is that it’s been recorded so many times by virtually all of my heroes and legends—that’s a daunting task to walk up to the plate and take a swing,” he says.

If a daunting task is something you're up for too, we're pleased to offer the Urtext edition edition from Henle of this technically demanding work, with fingerings provided by French pianist Pascal Rogé. We understand, however, if you'd rather relax (perhaps with a glass of the eponymous liquor) and read the full story.