People say that Ravel is a genious of the orchestration and it applys his ways of the use of oboes. When I listen to Ravel's orchestral works, I recognize that the English horn (cor anglais) is the tenor oboe. The word "horn" and its characteristic pear-shaped bell give us a peculiar impression, rather a kind of prejudice but the English horn is an instrument of the oboe family. (The English horn has no concern with horn and the pear-shaped bell has an effect only on a few low tones.) When I listened to the long solo phrase of English horn in the second mouvement of Ravel's Piano Concerto in France, I was moved by its elegant timbre. Certainly the timbre of English horn has a pastoral atmosphere but it is never a rustic atmosphere. It is the spirit in which Poulenc composed Concert Champêtre but it is never "l'esprit paysan" in French. We (not only audiences but also players and composers) often understand that the English horn has the "rustic" timbre. In the symphony of Dvorãk, this idea is not always an error but in the french music this misunderstanding spoils its elegance. In the » Rigaudon « of the suite ; Le Tombeau de Couperin, the English horn succeeds a phrase of oboe and accomplishs a long phrase. In this part, the oboe and the English horn combine. It seems natural but there are few exampls of this kind of orchestration. Many composers that treat the English horn as an "independent" instrument from oboe.

But Ravel never ignores the subtle difference of timbre among the oboe family. The typical example is the use of the oboe d'amore in Boléro. We can play the phrase of Boléro either by oboe or by English horn. But Ravel chose the oboe d'amore. The phrase by oboe has a rough timbre because we have to use low tones of oboe. On the contrary, the phrase by English horn alone has a pastoral character and it isn't suitable for the passionate atmosphere of Boléro. So this orchestration proves Ravel's delicate auditory sense. After all, Ravel understand the uniformity of timbre as oboe family and at the same time, the subtle difference of timbre and the difference of ability among each instrument of the oboe family, and depending on circumstances Ravel emphasized each character properly.

In the Ravel's works, I like neo-classical works ; Menuet antique and Le Tombeau de Couperin, etc. I like thier clear sound. The clearness is one of the most typical characters of the french culture. People say that Ravel's music is the impressionistic music. Certainly Daphnis and Chloé; seems the typical example. But we don't have to forget that the impressionists had classical education which respected the clearness and that the impressionism developped as an opposition to the tradition. The impressionistic music seems vague but it is never dim nor muddy. Because like the pointillistic paintings of Georges SEURAT, each note is clear and the musical constitution (form) is also clear.