< Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (1895-1956)  plays Ravel's Oiseaux Tristes from "Miroirs".

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937):
From "Miroirs" (1904/5):
2. Oiseaux Tristes (Sad birds) - Très lent
Walter Gieseking (1895-1956), piano
Recorded in 1954

Oiseaux tristes ("Sad Birds"), dedicated to Ricardo Viñes. A lone bird sings its sad song at the beginning; other birds reluctantly join in. The wild and raucous middle section is offset by a slow, solemn cadenza, which returns the piece to the solitude and loneliness of the opening.

Images: Gieseking, Ravel playing 4-mains with Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950), mechanical birds.