After a short operatic career with De Nederlandse Opera, he worked mostly in concert, singing Lieder and oratorios.
He appeared in many supporting roles, such as Morales in Bizet's Carmen and Alcindor in Puccini's La bohème, and in 1927 as Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhäuser.
[2] He focused on concert singing, succeeding Thomas Denijs as the vox Christi in the regular performances of Bach's St Matthew Passion conducted by Willem Mengelberg.
[2] He sang the role in the first recording of the work in 1939,[1][2] with the Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam [nl] and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, alongside Karl Erb as the Evangelist.
"[4] Ravelli also appeared in Belgium, England and Germany, presenting a broad repertory including the bass part in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.