Ravel’s staggering post-war masterpiece is another favourite of ours, and led to this summary by George Benjamin: “Whether or not it was intended as a metaphor for the predicament of European civilization in the aftermath of the Great War, its one-movement design plots the birth, decay and destruction of a musical genre: the waltz.”
“Whatever degree of ‘creative license’ the Linos Trio have taken in this absolutely stunning transcription, they could surely have done no more in bringing such a highly-innovative and immensely enjoyable CD to such a grand close . . . The Linos reincarnation embodies the true apotheosis of the Viennese Waltz, even if seemingly on steroids, with a performance that is musically right off the Richter scale. Not only is it my personal favourite here, but it’s also the track, which for me, sounds at least as good, if not arguably better than the composer’s orchestral original.” MusicWeb International, Philip R Buttall
“The Linos Piano Trio concludes its recording with what is probably the most unusual arrangement, Maurice Ravel’s La Valse. Since Ravel also wrote one of the most important piano trios, the musicians used this to create an arrangement that might have been written by Ravel himself.” Klassik heute, Verena Düren
“Ravel’s La Valse has a similar feeling of looming disaster, here with the seemingly formal waltz slowly spiralling out of control, even tipping over the edge into decadent chaos. In their arrangement, the Linos players burst the piano trio free of the formal salon into wild abandon – the variety of textures and effects they generate from the three instruments here is impressive, and they almost achieve the sense of impending seasickness generated by the orchestral surges at the conclusion.” Scene, Nick Boston
“La Valse, in particular, benefits from the Linos musicians’ arrangement and almost paraphrased playing. Ravel’s so-called homage to the Viennese waltz sounds superb in this transcription” Pizzicato, Remy Franck