Today marks the 138th anniversary of Maurice Ravel's birth. Here, Vlado Perlemuter plays "Gaspard de la Nuit"...whilst chewing gum! Thanks to The Piano Files with Mark Ainley for bringing this performance to my attention.

We're staying near a music school, so we've been treated to various piano, choral, and brass rehearsals throughout each day. The tutors there are clearly doing a pretty good job - someone was playing the piano part from this yesterday afternoon...

...and doing a very good job of it. It's the final movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto In G. 

Dinu Lipatti's Birthday.

He was born on March 19 1917, but Romania used a different calendar to many other countries at the time...so it would be April 1 under today's system.

Here's his amazing recording of Ravel's "Alborada Del Gracioso".

A supremely beautiful reading of Busoni's piano transcription of Bach's "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ":

The first movement of Schumann's Piano Concerto. Herbert von Karajan conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra with Lipatti as soloist. Lipatti's is my favourite performance of the cadenza.

"The Art Of Easing" by Digable Planets, from their second album Blowout Comb, which is still one of my favourite hip-hop records.

"Broken Chords Can Sing A Little" by A Silver Mt. Zion.

"Ondine", the first movement of Ravel's notoriously difficult "Gaspard de la Nuit". Played live by the one and only Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. An amazing performance.