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- Ravel, Maurice
- Hunsberger, Donald
Duration: 6 minutes
Description: Maurice Ravel’s (1875-1937) LA VALLÉE DES CLOCHES (VALLEY OF THE BELLS; No. 5 from MIROIRS, M. 43) was composed in such a way to provide a sense of improvisation. And the opening and closing measures indeed provide a sense of timeless floating while actually encased in a formal rhythmic structure. Masterfully arranged for wind ensemble or band by Donald Hunsberger, the work should suggest to the listener a light, airy feeling, as though one were in a valley surrounded by fog-shrouded peaks. If one imagines a calm, a stillness interrupted only by a gentle breeze through the branches, the performer will approach the composition with a freedom of expression that resolves about the ostinato of the metallic percussion instruments. It has been scored with the optimum performance by single players to each part but will be equally effective with carefully balanced doublings.