The early 1920s were musically unproductive years for Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), but this creative drought was brought to an end when the composer heard the brilliant young Hungarian violinist, Jelly D’Arányi, perform at a 1922 concert in London.  D’Arányi had quite a musical pedigree:  she was the niece of Joseph Joachim, celebrity violin virtuoso who had collaborated with Brahms on the fine-tuning of Brahms’ magnificent violin concerto (which Joachim went on to perform to great acclaim). After the London concert, Ravel approached the young woman, who like Joachim was Hungarian, and asked her to play gypsy melodies for him.

The impromptu performance lasted much of the night, and a revved-up Ravel promised to write a virtuoso composition just for her, which he did very quickly. The result was Tzigane, written first for violin and piano.  The title  Tzigane (also “gitan” or “tsigane” in French) refers more to the popular (at the time) European taste for exotic elements in musical compositions rather than a study in gypsy melodies or thrilling dance music.  The first performance took place in 1924; it was an instant success.

Today, Maurice Ravel is known for the perfection of his musical craftsmanship.  He spent a number of years at the Paris Conservatoire, graduating in 1905, and developed a highly personal musical idiom, particularly in his works for the piano, among them the technically challenging “Gaspard de la nuit” (1908), “Le Tombeau de Couperin” (1917), and two piano concertos (1931).  The composer of “Boléro” (1928) toured the United States in the same year.  In the early 30s, Ravel suffered a stroke and was left aphasic for the remainder of his life; no more music came from his pen.  For Igor Stravinsky, Ravel was “the most perfect of Swiss watchmakers,” so carefully conceived and constructed were his compositions.

Tzigane requires consummate artistry from the violinist: beginning with a complicated cadenza, the work makes use of fast finger work, terrifying harmonics, double stops, and octaves among other challenges for the performer.