Classical Guitar Arrangement - Difficulty: Advanced

Testament to Ravel's artistry is "Prélude en la mineaur" (Prelude in A Minor), a miniature he composed as a sight-reading exercise for the 1913 women's piano competition at the Conservatoire de Paris. With 27 measures and a duration of fewer than two minutes, the unmistakable sophistication of Ravel is apparent in every note.

"Assez lent et très expressif" (quite slow and very expressive), the prélude illustrates a peaceful melody in a curly pattern, caressed by lengthy arpeggios bordering on dissonance.

One of its peculiar characteristics on the piano is the hand crossings that must be applied to execute it properly. This quality has been carefully ported to the classical guitar arrangement where fretted notes, open-string harmonics and artificial right-hand harmonics interchange.