Scarbo, the third movement of Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, is a haunting masterpiece that many consider the pinnacle of pianistic terror. While some may debate its title as “the most challenging piano piece ever composed,” few can deny the nightmarish demands of its lightning-fast passages, ghostly whispers of triple pianissimos, and relentless polyrhythmic complexities. Attempting Scarbo requires extraordinary technical skill, endurance, and a touch of madness.
At the heart of this story lies a moment of ambition and probably rivalry. At that time, Mily Balakirev’s Islamey was the undisputed benchmark of pianistic difficulty. Balakirev composed the piece as a direct challenge to Franz Liszt, whose works had already pushed the limits of what pianists thought possible. Yet Ravel, ever audacious, sought to outdo Islamey, not just in technical challenge but in emotional and psychological depth. His mission: to create something far darker and infinitely more sinister: a piece that wasn’t merely difficult but utterly demonic in its essence.
Ravel found inspiration in the macabre prose poems of Aloysius Bertrand’s Gaspard de la Nuit. From this collection, he chose three haunting texts to form the suite: Ondine, Le Gibet, and Scarbo. Each movement paints a distinct musical and emotional landscape, but it is Scarbo that continues to haunt the nightmares of pianists who dare to challenge it. Here’s a closer look at these three movements:
Ondine (C# Major)
A seductive water nymph sings to a man, luring him to her shimmering, otherworldly realm beneath the waves. Her song is both enchanting and deceptive, like a siren’s call. Rippling arpeggios and cascading scales evoke the glimmer of water under moonlight, capturing the allure and danger of her invitation.
Le Gibet (E-flat Minor)
A chilling vision of death: the silhouette of a hanged man swaying in the twilight. The movement’s oppressive stillness is punctuated by the tolling of Bb octaves, evoking funeral bells from a distant, ghostly city. The mortifying ambiance, reminiscent of Chopin’s Funeral March, leaves listeners transfixed in a morbid trance.
Scarbo (G# Minor)
The true demon of the suite. A sinister goblin stalks the night, scratching at walls and casting monstrous shadows in the moonlight. Here, Ravel’s diabolical genius reaches its zenith, demanding from the pianist blistering repeated notes, finger-twisting double-note scales, and perilous leaps across the keyboard. The movement’s relentless pace and dynamic extremes hover on the edge of madness, making it the most feared of the three.
Scarbo is the reason Gaspard de la Nuit is often considered the most terrifying piano suite ever written. To play it is to tempt fate with the demons. A feat few pianists dare to attempt, and even fewer survive unscathed. Ravel’s devilish ambitions did not merely surpass Islamey; they forged a masterpiece that continues to haunt the imagination of those who attempt to play it.