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Ravel is about to get the royal treatment from pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi and his �������� colleagues, including a student. 

On their Insiders series concert Friday, March 21, Pompa-Baldi and crew will present assorted works by Ravel as well as new music inspired by him, all in honor of his 150th birthday. 

It a tribute unlike any other, an apt celebration of a composer who himself transcended norms.  

�Ravel gifted us so many immortal masterpieces, which are known and loved by people everywhere,� Pompa-Baldi said. �But he was also such a creative spirit, and so I thought it would be wonderful to add newly written pieces to this homage.�  

Ravel music will be represented by two works: his Gaspard de la Nuit suite for solo piano and his Piano Trio in A minor, in which Pompa-Baldi will be joined by violinist Ilya Kaler and cellist Si-Yan Darren Li.  

�Ravel wrote amazing works for a variety of instruments, and I am grateful to my colleagues for agreeing to perform one of them with me,� Pompa-Baldi said.  

The rest of the program is all-new, featuring works by composers Roberto Piana and Luca Moscardi, both of whom Pompa-Baldi has known for years and commissioned on earlier occasions.  

Piana piece, Ravel en rêve, is a set of variations on the seventh waltz from Ravel Valses Nobles et Sentimentales. In his notes for the work, Piana said he traces a path from mystery and intensity to �a liberating final climax,� all while striving to capture Ravel �sparkling spirit and musical dynamism.�  

The other new piece, Variations on the name Maurice Ravel, pairs Pompa-Baldi with a student artist, cellist Annamarie Wellems, for a world premiere. Picking up a method Ravel himself used in variations on Hadyn, the new work assigns a note to each letter of Ravel full name and then spins eight variations, each with its own musical form and style.  

�Ravel is such a towering figure in our world, and I�m thankful that two of my favorite living composers enthusiastically agreed to create new music in his honor,� Pompa-Baldi said. �Speaking for me and my colleagues, we are looking forward to this recital.�  

Friday, March 21 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Antonio Pompa-Baldi, piano 

Ilya Kaler, violin 

Si-Yan Darren Li, cello 

Annamarie Wellems, cello, student artist 

Ravel at 150: A Celebration 

MOSCARDI   Theme and Variations on the name Maurice Ravel, Op. 50 (2024) 

   World premiere  

PIANA   Ravel en Rêve (2024)  

RAVEL   Gaspard de la nuit (1908)  

RAVEL   Piano Trio in A minor (1914) 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events.