A Friday Recommendation

Dexter Filkins on Tension, Tenderness, and Ravel

Colin here. I’ve sent this to a lot of friends. I listened on a morning run in Doha and it really blew me away. Dexter is one of the best journalists of a generation, and his book, The Forever War, is an essential read.

Filkins recalls how Ravel’s music gave him respite during his “nightmare years” covering the war in Iraq. He explains how Ravel, who served as an ambulance driver during World War I, balances suffering and hope in the second movement of his Piano Concerto in G Major.

The performance of Ravel’s "Adagio" from his Concerto for Piano in G Major featured on this episode comes from the 1998 Deutsche Grammophon album "Ravel: Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales," featuring pianist Krystian Zimerman as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Pierre Boulez.

Give this a listen today.