Ma Mère l'Oye for Flute, Cello and Piano

This is a revised edition of an arrangement of Ravel's Mother Goose Suite for flute, cello and piano. Subtitled 5 Pièces Enfantines (5 Children's Pieces), the original version was for piano, and inspired by Perraul's fairy tales. The five movements are Sleeping Beauty, Little Thumb, The Green Snake, Beauty adn the Beast and The Fairytale Gardens.

The trio version was originally published by Durand, with alternative parts for violin and clarinet in place of flute. However, there are significant differences in the parts for each instrument, and so this edition aims to unify some of these differences, with the help of Lisa Nelsen and Rien de Reede.

The five short movements are fun and engaging, and the subject matter makes the piece ideal for family and community concerts; it is unsurprising that the piece exists in several different versions. Ravel's mastery comes through in the melodic writing in particular, using changing time signatures or alternating phrase lengths to maintain interest and provide a sense of narrative.

Despite the simplicity of the subject matter, the music is not easy - the notorious Laideronnette, Impératrice des Pagodes movement is written in 6 sharps and needs a good deal of finger dexterity, but the challenge is well worth the time taken to master it.

This new revised edition is welcome, and brings us one step closer to Ravel's original work. Highly recommended.