Ravel with precision, but no passion

Pierre-Laurent Aimard is a singer of great precision and technique, but his renditions of Ravel and Carter works need more heart

Composer:  Ravel; Carter
Repertoire: Gaspard de la nuit (Ravel);  Night Fantasies (Carter)
Artists: Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Rating:  3/5 
Genre: Vocal
Label: Warner 2564 62160-2

There’s no quibbling with Aimard’s virtuoso technique and his fine tone. He has an ability to render clear and precise accounts of the most fiendishly difficult music, among which these works certainly count, Carter’s modernism being both complex and dazzling. Yet perhaps one’s expectations of him have been excessively raised. The Ravel feels disappointingly short of colour, magic and soul: precision apparently without a trace of passion.