Paravent

Paravent is a new piece based on themes from Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante défunte” (Pavane for a dead princess) which was originally written for solo piano.

"I am drawn to Ravel's music and the music of other impressionists because its rich chromaticism reminds me of Jazz, my first love. I thought it might be a nice idea to combine the beautiful melody of Ravel's Pavane with some jazz chords, similar to reharmonizations create new and interesting. As such, I used and reworked parts of the original melody, but also developed the given material to bring something new of my own, while fitting with the overall feel of the original piece.

The name "Paravent" (originally meant for an ornamental portable room divider) is a made-up word from "paraphrase" and "Pavane" - it somehow sounds familiar and similar to "Pavane", but it is also something new, so there is a parallel between a new title and new piece both synthesized from a variety of prior material as well as my own imagination."