Robert Treviño & the Basque National Orchestra Release Ravel 'Sequel'

After the release of their highly acclaimed first Ravel album together, fast-rising Mexican-American conductor Robert Treviño and the Basque National Orchestra are set to release a follow-up - "Ravel 2". The release comes shortly after the orchestra extended Treviño's tenure as Music Director in perpetuity, and is his fifth collaboration with Ondine.

The first Ravel album concentrated on the Basque elements in Ravel's music; "Ravel 2" focuses much more on the French side of the French-Basque composer's oeuvre.

The album features the world premiere recording of Pierre Boulez's orchestration of Frontispice, as well as a relatively rare complete recording of the ballet score Ma mère l'Oye (Mother Goose). Valses nobles et sentimentales, Menuet antique and Shéhérezade, Ouverture de féerie complete the line-up.

The first volume of Ravel attracted no fewer than six 'Recording of the Month'-style accolades from leading outlets as far afield as Japan, Australia, France and the US; as well as five-star reviews from Classica and Classics Today.

Another recent recording for Ondine, "Americascapes", has won similarly widespread praise, including a Gramophone Award nomination for 'Best Orchestral Recording' , Best Recording of 2021 from Presto Music (UK), Recording Of The Month from PhonoForum, Recording Of The Month from Limelight, and five-stars from both Classics Today and Classica. The New Yorker's Alex Ross hailed both albums as "startlingly excellent" and "superb".

In his booklet note, Treviño writes, "This is a continuation of our exploration of a great Basque composer, with whose music the Basque National Orchestra has a long relationship.

The repertoire this time around represents much more of the French side of Ravel's French-Basqueness; from Ma mere l'Oye being expanded into a ballet, and being composed in an ornate, French impressionist style...Frontispice (is) really conceptual, modernist French music...orchestrated by that preeminent Ravel champion and great French conductor Pierre Boulez."

Meanwhile, Treviño has just concluded a busy Italy-focussed summer including tours with the La Scala Philharmonic, the RAI Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI - where he is Principal Guest Conductor - and his debut at the Puccini Festival in Torre Del Lago (as well as concerts in Japan with the Osaka Philharmonic, and a residency at Interlochen in the US).

The coming months include engagements with the Basque National Orchestra, Vienna Tonkunstler, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Malmo Symphony (where he is Artistic Consultant) and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI.

Watch the trailer here: