Dg is proud to announce the new album of icon maestro pollini, coinciding with the debussy year 2018. The set by paul jacobs was the benchmark to which i compared all other performances i found zimerman wimpy, and some rhythms. Debussys use of scales other than the major or minor. Michelle assay a new recording by ashkenazy as pianist is always newsworthy. Theyre both still quite the challenge for advanced players only. En spartiti liberi di preludes book 1, book2, in international music score library project, project petrucci llc. One of the easiest pieces in this collection is the girl with the flaxen hair, around a. The title of the piece may be translated to english as either veils or sails. Claude debussy s painterly preludes the subtle, elusive quality of debussy s twentyfour preludes is captured perfectly by pianist paul jacobs, who plays them with a tolling, belllike sound.
These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. The easiest debussy piano pieces and the most difficult. I am not convinced that he is likely to be the most subtle painter of colours in debussys music. A habanera rhythm is consistently heard in the left. Debussy gave titles to each prelude, which significantly. Debussys twentyfour preludes are among the composers last and bestknown works for piano. Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton university. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. Book i was composed in a short time between december 1909 and february 1910. In addition, perhaps because debussys style is so prone to mannerism.
Wvk002 debussy preludes book 2 albums wave kinetics. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Unlike other collections of preludes by great composers, debussy s do not follow a strict pattern of key signature. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. I wanted to get michelangelis recording, since a lot of people here love it so much. On both occasions he played excerpts from debussys preludes as encores so captivatingly that i hoped one day he would record an album of the complete work. Debussy took great care in assigning these titles, and several contain quotations from various poems. A new album from marcandre hamelin is always cause for celebration. Czerny is inspired by the fivefinger exercises of carl czerny. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. They were composed and published in two books of twelve. Debussys poetic sensibility and his delicate use of keyboard nuances, developed from chopin, is shown clearly enough in the two books of preludes, the first completed in 1910 and the second in 19. Claude debussys two books of preludes hold a special place in the piano. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy.
Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. Wvk001 debussy preludes book 1 albums wave kinetics. Recorded live during the marion rubin berman 31 piano honors concert april 12, 2012 in necs jordan hall in boston. Preludes, book 1 includes the composers first twelve pieces for solo piano in a simple, easy to use iphone and ipad optimized interface. The preludes were composed in two books of twelve, the first in 190910 and the second in 1911. Daniel barenboim playing the first book, maurizio pollini the second. Debussys colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. From the delphic dancers of the first prelude to the explosive fireworks that end the second book, each debussy prelude immerses us in a separate and distinct. Aug 19, 2016 debussy did nothing less than liberate music from the domination by functional harmony which had prevailed for three centuries. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each.
The second theme is played in octaves separated by a. Along with maurice ravel, he is considered one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions. His readings of the first book of preludes, and the first set of images is going to be much, much, much more than soothing pastel background music listening. Apr 03, 2020 three debussy preludes, chosen from books one and two, are interspersed throughout the rameau in the second half of the album. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and. Geisekings recordings of the preludes defintely rates as one of the best recordings of debussy piano music there is. The twentyfour preludes of debussy are published in two books of twelve preludes each. Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at. In the rameau, the beauty of the long melodic lines, along with. Im not actually a great fan of debussy, nor of lengthy works for solo piano, but piemontesis interpretations here are just gorgeous. Debussy himself is recording human experience, revealing veiled messages ranging from bemused comedy to the shards of a shattered universe. The two pieces by claude debussy chosen for this program share the ambience of a habanera.
Notice how debussy uses both extremes of the keyboard. The works in debussys second book of preludes are similar in intent to those of book i 1907 1910. Aug 26, 2016 debussys preludes are divided into two parts. 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. Each year, this festival features worldclass artists during one week in. Dino ciani, and countless other pianists in one book or in selections from both. Preludes book 1 and preludes book 2 subtly evocative. One only prays and hopes that the rest of debussys piano music is somewhere in the near future, probably along with at least the core ravel piano works if not all the ravel piano music.
The germanenglish pianist walter morse rummel, a student of leopold godowsky, gave the premiere of the entire second book of preludes in 19 in london. The second recording i have is koroliov on the independent german label tacet. With this recording pollini is closing the circle of debussy preludes with the long anticipated recording of the 2nd book 18 years after he recorded book 1, which is an evergreen in his discography. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off. Voiles is a composition by claude debussy for solo piano from 1909. Joseph auner wrote, in all but a few cases, debussy showed little interest in remaining within any one scale, preferring instead a subtle interchange among diatonic, wholetone, and octatonic elements. Pascal roge is an admirable debussy interpreter, and this double decca set represents extremely good value, packed with most of debussys best piano music. Debussy preludes book 2 free downloadable sheet music. The beams on even the 32nd notes are very easy to distinguish many printers do not get such a high resolution and the spaces between 2 or 3 beams are often poorly defined resulting in fat black patches instead of distinct lines.
Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Debussy takes an ordinary moment, a cell of life, as in a hint at the marseillaise in the final prelude, and imbues it with a sense of eternity and otherworldly significance. Claude debussy h18621918 by the time he began writing the first book of preludes, claude debussy had established himself as an important and prolific composer having already produced most of the works that history would label masterpieces. The 23 greatest solo piano works the great courses plus.
Estampes cd, philips at the best online prices at ebay. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the studio after. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Begin this lecture with reflections on debussys personality and artistic influences, including that of french symbolist poetry, as they influenced his musical creations. 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.
Aug 21, 2019 preludes, livre 2 debussy, claude there is no proof that debussy necessarily intended the preludes to be performed as a cycle, although the musical language throughout each book is so consistent that performers often do debusssy. The works in debussys second book of preludes 191019 are similar in intent to those of book i 19071910. The first book of preludes is slightly easier than the second, since the second collection features debussys more mature writing style. Achilleclaude debussy august 22, 1862 march 25, 1918 was a french composer. Except for some mild, localized chromaticism and a short pentatonic passage, the entire piece uses the whole. Debussys preludes, book livre 1, a group of tone poems, along with book 2, in the form of preludes for piano. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. 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. Claude debussy s preludes are two sets of pieces for solo piano, written in 191010 and 1912, and published as book i and ii respectively. Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. Debussy pantomimes the pedantic style of czernys exercises by placing typical figurations and passages in grotesque juxtaposition and introducing bizarre modulations. Preludes preludi e il titolo di due raccolte per pianoforte solista composte da claude. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy.
It is the second piece in a set of twelve preludes published in 1910. Heretofore, my favorite artist for the preludes i and ii had likely been joan rowlands surrounded by debussy, preludes. For the present recording the slovakborn composer peter breiner has. As for his piano compositions, after he completed the second book of preludes the only. In his first book of preludes, discover the remarkable compositional innovations that allowed him to craft these superlative short pieces. These preludes are well known for the unique way in which they are titled. A new recording by ashkenazy as pianist is always newsworthy. The titles are placed at the end of each prelude, a deliberate decision by debussy that was. Soyoung choe performs excerpts from debussys preludes, book 1. By the time he wrote his preludes in the second decade of the 20th century, he had refined this idea. Pour les cinq doigtsdapres monsieur czerny for five fingersafter mr. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans lair du soir. Roges playing is energetic, sensitive and lyrical i particularly enjoyed the sensuality of the second book of images and the liveliness of the suite bergamasque and pour le. Here he reaches between those two to tackle one of the pinnacles of the piano repertoiredebussys two books of preludes.
Website release date january february march april may june july august september october november december. Debussy tento di sfuggire alla qualifica di musicista a programma scrivendo i titoli alla fine di ogni pezzo, anziche. Also recorded here is the second book of preludes, in a poetic and evocative performance. Brouillards is the first prelude in debussys second book of preludes and was. Mists fleeting shadows in the rh over a mystic, stunned chorale in the lh. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it. The ending of this movement is one of debussys best moments. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Debussy pantomimes the pedantic style of czernys exercises by placing typical figurations and passages in grotesque juxtaposition and. Hes recorded the first set of debussy preludes, but not the second, so this is his first go at both. Debussy preludes, book 1 download free sheet music.