Maybe debussy, who distrusted prolixity and technical brilliance, was saying. Each book contains twelve preludes for the piano, many of them known to todays musical audiences because of their great popularity with pianists worldwide. But there is no attempt to emulate chopin by writing each in a different key, and their elusive world of colour and fantasy is closer to schumann and to liszt. Debussy rameau vikingur olafsson deutsche grammophon. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. Mar 15, 2016 he had just completed the estampes, and the images, the first book of which was published in october 1905, can be heard as a development along the same colouristic lines, following earlier. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy showing 1 4 of 68.
When pianist jorge federico osorio gave a recital in new yorks lincoln center earlier this year, the new york times praised his considerable imagination for subtle timbres and vivid characterizations in works of debussy and his beautifully articulated and explosively virtuosic readings of liszt. Sep 29, 2006 this piece is pure debussy a beautiful, quiet contemplative tone poem. Debussy was the composer who freed western music from the claustrophobic confines of functional harmony, the set of rules that for 300 years had governed which chords fit best with which others according to how well their bass notes. Debussy established impressionism as a pianistic style and used evocative terms to shed light on the mood or character of each piece. Debussy rameau vikingur olafsson with olafsson, vikingur on cd. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. Program and biographical notes in english and german 21 p. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. Here, in one volume, are two bodies of work that, perhaps more than any others, reveal the essence of claude debussys extraordinary expressiveness and his innovative gifts for musical imagery. In french literary circles, the style of this period was known as symbolism, a movement that directly inspired debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant. Jan 22, 2009 after sonatas by beethoven and chopin, a disc of schumann and magisterial accounts of the two brahms piano concertos comes this recital of debussy centred on the first book of preludes. Christening this collection preludes, according to the program notes, was just one of his. Both books 1 and 2 of debussy s popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume.
The next two preludes take us abroad for the last time. I can do just as good a water nymph as you in fewer notes. Program notes by phillip huscher claude debussy born august 22, 1862, saintgermainenlaye, france. His piano works include two books of preludes and two of etudes. One pleasure of staying with friends is to explore their collections of books and recordings. Debussy s music virtually defines the transition from lateromantic music to twentieth century modernist music. He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century. This blog is dedicated to discussion of the performance of the piano pieces of claude debussy. Born in montreal and a resident of boston, marcandre hamelin is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the german record critics association. Claude debussy s trio of piano pieces entitled images, book 1 was published in 1905, the same year as his suite bergmasque. In these pages ill try to summarize what references i have on the performance of. Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. Debussy s piano pieces require deep thought and understanding.
Also recorded here is the second book of preludes, in a poetic and evocative performance. Images and the two books of piano preludes whose titles tend to be more concrete. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. Aug 19, 2016 the composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussys music by kodaly in 1907.
In this performance one notes that the quality of touch and pedaling takes into account the three distinct levels upon which the whole prelude is built. Prelude and fugue in csharp minor bach preludes book 2 debussy preludes, opus 32 rachmaninoff by lawrence budmen while an entire concert of preludes may seem repetitive at first glance, the term had a very different meaning to various composers. Im only an amateur pianist, but have been playing debussy s piano works since the late 70s. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano claude debussy on.
Achilleclaude debussy 22nd august 1862 25th march 1918 was a french composer. For 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bassoon, contrabassoon, 2 horns arr. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Appraising background information the composer claude debussy 18621918 was the leading french composer of the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The composers choice of title, however, is somewhat curious as it can be argued that the title could equally be wellapplied to any of debussys compositions. Reflets dans leau, from images, book 1 by claude debussy, performed by heidi hau piano. Reflets dans leau, from images, book 1 heidi hau piano. It is that, rather than their picturesque qualities, that changed history. Debussy complete solo piano music larissa dedova pn centaur 309497 4 cds. Debussys colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. Pucks aerial acrobatics are first interrupted by and then blended with trumpet and horn calls. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Despite the research i have done regarding the title, the results i have found are still only speculation. Debussy s most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality.
Book i was written between december 1909 and february 1910, and book ii between the last months of 1912 and early april 19. Gifted from his early years with a preternatural and keen understanding of writing for the piano, this cd displays debussys prodigious gifts in full display as rendered by baldis sensitive playing. As for his piano compositions, after he completed the second book of preludes the only. The two final preludes of book i are more lighthearted. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 by claude debussy 1862. Eight years later, rachmaninoff composed the preludes of opus 32. In particular, ligeti cited keyboard giants scarlatti, chopin, schumann, and debussy, as well as jazz pianists thelonious monk and bill evans. Debussy images book 1 free downloadable sheet music. Not only is the title full of mystery, but the piece itself leaves the listener in awe and wonder.
Robert schumann, modest mussorgsky, claude debussy. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. While in an opera or ballet, a prelude may be a mood setting introduction to. These works are distinct from debussys images pour orchestre. Publication date 1910 topics preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection imslp. This is why his interpretation of romantic sounds by schumann ran so. They were published in two booksseries, each consisting of three pieces. Claude debussys trio of piano pieces entitled images, book 1 was published in 1905, the same year as his suite bergmasque. Pierrelaurent aimard honors debussy and elliott carter at. Suggesting sailing boats anchored to a fixed pedalpoint, this prelude is a brilliant example of the composers use of the.
Just as robert schumann s piano year coincided, not accidentally, with his longawaited marriage to clara wieck, rachmaninoffs marriage to his cousin natalia satin, in may 1902, served as the creative impetus for the ten preludes of opus 23. Debussys works began to feature increasingly in concert programmes at home and. Book 1 s fantasy has been replaced by a certain weary or ominous realism, and you get the feeling that book 1 was more explicitly imagistic in nature, while book 2. Shop and buy complete preludes, books 1 and 2 sheet music. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Playing debussys piano works an amateurs thoughts about. Roy howats editions of debussy piano music for the. Robert schumann, modest mussorgsky, claude debussy, sviatoslav richter schumann.
Puck is shakespeares elf, in all likelihood found by debussy, as roy howat has suggested, in an edition of 1908 with illustrations by arthur rackham. Ligeti was also drawn to indonesian gamelan and the complex polyrhythms of african drumming. Audio recording, 2000 to 2099, debussy, claude, no. Schirmer library of classics volume 2001 piano solo paperback. I provide the original scanned version and the filtered, because the filter does some changes smoothening, sharpening borders and some portions of the scan get lost sometimes when they are too small e. Lee, jiin, scholarly program notes on my recital repertoire 2012. Debussy follows no overall agenda, as schumann does for example in carnaval or. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. As he composed the etudes, ligeti drew on an eclectic range of inspirations, both within and outside music. Soyoung choe performs excerpts from debussys preludes, book 1.
Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. These marvelous gifts are captured wonderfully on this cd of piano works by claude debussy. Extension of christoffel duality to christoffel conjugates, and the characterization of the ionian mode via divider incidence and sturmian standardicity. While the solo piano version of debussy s preludes will always. Claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussy s greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 sep29 by steve bryson. The first book was composed between 1901 and 1905, and the second book was composed in 1907. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Steven osborne has already made a name for himself in french music with a disc of alkan and a profoundly moving performance of messiaens vingt regards. Works for violoncello and piano, except the schumann arabesque, which is for solo piano, and the penderecki work, which is for violoncello solo. Debussy s colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds.
These works are distinct from debussy s images pour orchestre. Debussy was the composer who freed western music from the claustrophobic confines of functional harmony, the set of rules that for 300 years had governed which chords fit best with which others according to how well their bass notes got along. Here he reaches between those two to tackle one of the pinnacles of the piano repertoiredebussys two books of preludes. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced. Here, in one volume, are two bodies of work that, perhaps more than any others, reveal the essence of claude debussy s extraordinary expressiveness and his innovative gifts for musical imagery. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. Composed in 1907 this volume of images, comprised of three contrasting pieces, demonstrates conciseness, deep dramatic content and colorful tonal imagery.
Images usually pronounced in french is a suite of six compositions for solo piano by claude debussy. The first performance was given on october 15 of that year in paris. Debussy was, for reasons only he will know, awfully fond of the british see the little jig tune that the character whistles at 1. The two pieces by claude debussy chosen for this program share the ambience of a habanera. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Debussy preludes book 2 free downloadable sheet music. Debussy was not only among the most important of all french composers but also was a central figure in all european music at the turn of the twentieth century. They were published in two books series, each consisting of three pieces. A habanera rhythm is consistently heard in the left. For his sun oct 6 performance, our guest curator marcandre hamelin will end the concert with the complete debussy preludes book 2. The composers choice of title, however, is somewhat curious as it can be argued that the title could equally be wellapplied to any of debussy s compositions. Reflets dans leau, from images, book 1 gabriel escudero.
Hear those qualities for yourself on osorios new cd of debussy s preludes books. Recorded live during the marion rubin berman 31 piano honors concert april 12, 2012 in necs jordan hall in boston. Debussy dover music for piano by claude debussy isbn. Chopins funereal, passacaglialike prelude in c minor from his collection of 24.
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