In his vividly and engagingly narrated portrayal of the life and work of Maurice Ravel, Theo Hirsbrunner combines biographical and contemporary historical foundations with accessible descriptions of Ravel's compositions, thereby illuminating the intellectual, musical, and historical context of the composer. Rarely has this complex artistic personality, with its unique musical aesthetic and its roots in the tumultuous period of the Fin de siècle and the early decades of the 20th century, been presented to the reader in such an insightful and empathetic manner as in this book.