Maurice Ravel Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Gaspard of the NightMaurice Ravel29rank/position

Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit / Masaya Kamei

A piano suite composed by Maurice Ravel in 1908.

It consists of three movements, each depicting a supernatural being.

The first portrays the water nymph Ondine luring a man; the second depicts a corpse on a gallows bathed in the setting sun; and the third captures the nocturnal mischief of the little demon Scarbo.

Ravel sought to express poetic imagery through music.

Technically demanding for pianists, it requires delicate touch and advanced expressive control.

With its Gothic atmosphere, it’s perfect for listening on Halloween night.

Gaspard of the Night, M. 55: II. The GallowsMaurice Ravel30rank/position

Gaspard of the Night, M. 55: II. The Gallows

One of the pieces from Maurice Ravel’s 1908 piano suite Gaspard de la nuit, it sonically depicts the desolate scene portrayed in the poetry of Aloysius Bertrand.

A defining feature of this work is the relentless repetition of the same note—symbolizing a distant tolling bell—more than 150 times from beginning to end.

Over this monotonous resonance, eerie harmonies accumulate, drawing the listener into a meditative world dominated by the stillness of death.

For performers, maintaining strict tempo and a delicate balance of sonorities is essential; otherwise, the work’s overwhelming gloom may be compromised—making it a formidable challenge.

It is frequently programmed in competitions.

Consider listening to it when you wish to encounter the quiet beauty that lies at the depths of sorrow.

Piano Concerto in D major for the Left HandMaurice Ravel31rank/position

Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major – François/Cliⱷtens

Maurice Ravel made major contributions to the world of French classical music.

His Concerto for the Left Hand in D major was composed in 1929 at the request of Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in World War I.

Ravel succeeded in creating a rich sonority that, though playable with the left hand alone, sounds as if it were performed with both hands.

In Samson François’s performance, the work’s dark and impassioned world is brilliantly conveyed.

The jazz elements incorporated into the second movement evoke not only playfulness but also a sense of urgency.

This is a definitive performance that every music lover seeking the innovative spirit of classical music should hear at least once.

Suite ‘Mirrors’ No. 3 ‘A Boat on the Ocean’Maurice Ravel32rank/position

2014 PTNA Special Grade Second Round - Yurina Tetsu: Ravel, 'Miroirs' – 'Une barque sur l’océan'

Maurice Ravel, a French composer, is a leading figure of Impressionist music who flourished from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

His music is renowned for its precision and impeccable style, and works like Boléro are widely beloved.

The third piece, “Une barque sur l’océan” (A Boat on the Ocean), from the suite Miroirs composed between 1904 and 1905, is a beautiful work that evokes the flow of the sea’s waves and the rocking of a boat.

Although it demands a high level of piano technique, its beautiful sonorities are irresistibly captivating.

It is a recommended piece for those who wish to feel the beauty and mystery of the sea, and for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the world of Impressionist music.

From the suite “Ma mère l’Oye,” No. 3: “Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas”Maurice Ravel33rank/position

From 'Ma mère l’Oye' III. Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas — Ravel (piano four hands)

This is a masterpiece that unfolds a fairytale world imbued with an Oriental atmosphere.

It vividly portrays, through the unique four-hand resonance of piano duet, the tale of a beautiful princess cursed and transformed.

The piece is one of the five movements in a piano duet suite composed by Maurice Ravel between 1908 and 1910 for the children of his friends.

In this work, the sounds of Chinese instruments—such as xylophone and percussion—are brilliantly evoked using two pianos.

Amid its light and bright character, the timbre brims with exotic color, as if the distant toll of a gong were resounding.

Demanding rich expression across the piano’s high and low registers and close ensemble coordination, it is an ideal work for concerts and recitals.

Little Boat on the Ocean from the Suite ‘Mirrors’Maurice Ravel34rank/position

Ravel: Suite “Miroirs”: A Boat on the Ocean

How about a cool piece by Maurice Ravel that you’ll want to listen to on a hot day? It’s the third piece from the piano suite Miroirs, published in Paris in 1906 and dedicated to the painter Paul Sordes.

You can picture a small boat gently drifting across a vast sea, and just listening to it feels cleansing for the soul.

The work’s charm lies in its depiction of water through shimmering arpeggios.

They evoke the glinting, rippling surface under light and the deep ocean’s calm, with an expressive range that hardly seems possible from a single piano.

The meter changes 36 times over 140 measures, deftly capturing the ceaseless motion of the waves.

If you’d like to cool off with beautiful sonorities, or if you’re a fan of Impressionist music, you’ll surely enjoy it.

It might also be nice to listen to it alongside the other pieces in the Miroirs suite.

Two Hebrew SongsMaurice Ravel35rank/position

Jessye Norman: The complete “Deux mélodies hébraïques” (Ravel)

A song cycle composed in 1914 for voice with piano accompaniment.

An orchestral version was also released in 1919.

It consists of Kaddish and The Eternal Enigma.

The lyrics of Kaddish are from an Aramaic liturgical text.

The lyrics of The Eternal Enigma are taken from Jewish folk songs.