Maurice Ravel

One of the Best Books of 2025: Music at the Financial Times

An introduction to the life and work of the impressionist French composer.

Maurice Ravel is one of the twentieth century's most intriguing and contradictory composers. This biography, published for the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his birth, describes Ravel's journey from Parisian apprentice to global musical icon. Drawing on fresh research, Emily Kilpatrick reveals Ravel as both a daring provocateur and a reflective elder, his lifelong quest for originality driven by his deep love of history and literature. Set against a background of profound cultural and political upheaval, Ravel's story unfolds through his battles with the artistic establishment, his creative resilience after wartime losses, and the tragic incapacitation of his final years. The result is an intimate portrait of a composer whose music continues to enchant and challenge audiences worldwide.