Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet

Ravel's Introduction and Allegro (1905) was written as a commission for the harp maker Érard to showcase their new chromatic-pedal harp in competition with Pleyel's chromatic harp — ironically, Ravel deployed the piece's most ravishing effects on the pedal harp, decisively resolving the debate. The work is a jewel of Impressionist chamber writing: the harp's extended solo cadenza in the middle of the Allegro is among the most demanding and spectacular passages in the instrument's repertoire, and the interplay between harp, flute, and clarinet over the string quartet's shimmer creates a transparent, iridescent texture uniquely Ravel's. At ten minutes it is compact but feels much larger in emotional scope.