Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) [Alf:36-52255418]

Originally written in 1899 by Maurice Ravel for solo piano, and later orchestrated by the composer, PAVANE POUR UNE INFANTE D‰FUNTE (PAVANE FOR A DEAD PRINCESS) remains one of the enduringly popular of Ravel's works, though the title can be a curiosity for many. Ravel said of the work, "Do not attach any importance to the title: I chose it only for its euphonious qualities. Do not dramatize it. It is not a funeral lament for a dead child, but rather an evocation of the pavane [a stately, 16th-century Spanish court dance] which could have been danced by such a little princess as painted by VelĦzquez." This arrangement by Shirl Jae Atwell retains the lush, romantic sound of the original through the use of extensive divisi.