Ricard Viñes (Lleida, 1875 - Barcelona, ​​​​1943) and Maurice Ravel (Ciboure, 1875 - Paris, 1937) met during their adolescence and, from their early years in Paris, shared artistic concerns and a great personal affinity. When a young Ravel wrote the Small antique (1895), Viñes decided to premiere it in 1898, thus beginning a career deeply committed to new musical languages. "Ravel wasn't so gifted on the piano and was expelled from the conservatory, but thanks to it we gained a great composer," explains Màrius Bernadó, curator of the Viñes Year. That premiere, apart from marking Ravel's public debut, consolidated Viñes as a tireless promoter of 20th-century modern music.