Très lent

Ravel Quartet: Third Movement

The third movement is an exquisite nocturne, alternating between improvisatory episodes and a longing melody that create a bizarrely beautiful dreamscape. Throughout the movement, the melody is interrupted by eerie remembrances of past thematic material from other movements adding to the dream-like quality of the music.

Part I

Rhapsodic Episode I

The movement opens with a rhapsodic episode that sets the scene for this delicate beautiful slow movement. The viola begins with a stilted melody (R1) jolted by little punctuations in the other instruments. These punctuations recur throughout the movement, so we’ll call it motif 1 (m1). Whilst this opening presents us with material that will reappear, it should be heard as atmospheric. And what an ethereal atmosphere it creates!

Main Theme

A long song-like melody emerges from this that creates the main thematic (MT) material of the movement. This main theme (MT) is at once peaceful and longing, and it is interrupted by reappearances of the first theme from movement I (A) and a modified second theme from movement II (B). These interruptions feel like displaced memories that creep into the flow of the movement, but they ultimately succumb to the serenity of the main theme (MT). Notice how Ravel uses harmonic colour to create an exquisite atmosphere in the music.

Part II

Rhapsodic Episode II

The music begins to stir as the second rhapsodic section (R2) opens in the cello. The tempo accelerates and the upper strings flutter about with strange utterances. We’ve now entered a dream world of the surreal.

New Theme

The music becomes agitated and passionate. The second violin introduces a new theme (T2) marked “expressif” (expressive), whilst the viola reminds us of the main theme (MT), marked “très expressif” (very expressive).

The new theme (T2) grows in intensity and the music becomes more agitated. Ravel marks “modérément animé” (moderately animated), “pressez” (rush) and then “passionné” (passionate) as the climax arrives in all its fury. The music quickly settles into “très calme” (very calm) as the first theme from movement I (A) reappears.

Part III

The main theme in the viola (MT) returns, gently rocked by undulations in the cello, but this does not thwart the interjections of the second theme from movement II (B) and the first theme from movement I (A).

Rhapsodic Episode 3

A final rhapsodic episode (R3) concludes this dream-like movement. As the first theme from movement I (A) returns, a supreme peace falls over the music as it ascends to the highest registers of all four instruments.