Debussy pantomimes the pedantic works by placing figurations in grotesque juxtaposition and introducing bizarre modulations. My personal journey through the 24 debussy preludes. Arturo benedetti michelangeli piano, cord garben production, supervisor, karlaugust naegler sound engineer. This is because later on there is a two note, black and white gliss in one hand which requires the same fingers, the thumb playing the white and the 2nd playing the black, so this creates sorta a standard early on. Claude debussy s etudes are a set of 12 piano etudes composed in 1915. Jul 03, 2020 debussy s preludes have prompted some extraordinary pianism, yet this new version of book 2 from alexander melnikov stands out from the crowded pack in this anniversary year. One hundred years to the day since debussy died pour le piano was a nearly. Oct 27, 2015 flex your piano fingers with these 7 easiest debussy preludes and piano pieces.
Giesekings finger acuity, imaginative pedaling, and above all, preternaturally alert ear made him an ideal interpreter of impressionistic music. Mar 02, 2018 in poissons dor from images, book two, the opening motive, a darting duplet of double thirds, is like trying to catch a fishs flip as it slips out of the finger s grasp. When we were playing schumann fantasiestuck opus 73 no. Finally i will present my argument for what i regard to be gestural development between preludes no. Evolving performance practice of debussys piano preludes. Ilya itin, pianothis video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton univ. He admits that these are extremely difficult to play, and describes them as a warning to pianists not to take up the musical profession unless they have remarkable hands. Debussy preludes, book 2 by claude debussy 18621918. Confounding the norm of recording both books, presenting just the second provides a different perspective. Recorded ten years after his release of book 1 of the preludes, this set shows the same. What other collection of pieces manages to create so many utterly distinct and compelling worlds.
Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Released 21 november 1988 on deutsche grammophon catalog no. Download the piano sheet music of preludes, book i, l. It is a robust amount of musicianship required for one to convey all the facets of such a music.
No complaints about any of this cd, for that matter. Florent schmitt wrote two books of preludes, book 1, 3 preludes op. The pieces are extremely difficult to play, and debussy described them as a warning to pianists not to take up the musical profession unless they have remarkable hands. The title of the prelude is given at the end of the piece, while a roman numeral serves as the heading. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Book i was written between december 1909 and february 1910, and book ii. When an image on the film is owitaratad with a large round black mark, it is an indication that. She has assembled memorable historic and current performances, and will guide you through the visual and literary images that inspired debussy to create sound worlds that had never before.
The musical form, appearing rather simple on the surface, hides deep connections and patterns of structure that resist traditional modes. Although you wont find krystian zimermans ultrarefined fingerwork and wide dynamic range, nor paul jacobs linear perception, theres much to be said for. About claude debussy among the most important 20th century composers, and the most influential. If the interpreter is in no sympathy with it the result can be annoying and very far from what one could expect from it and what it was intended as. In mood and phrasing it echoes some wellknown debussy preludes. Often dubbed a musical impressionist, but his music always has a strong sense of form.
Claude debussy s 12 etudes were composed in 1915, in memory of frederic chopin. I personally use 1 and 2 pinched together, fingers perpendicular to the notes. This is the second part of susan waterfalls opportunity to treat your ears and eyes to an indepth exploration of debussy s colorful and captivating preludes for piano, book one, written in 1909 10. Dive into impressionistic musical landscapes inspired by the calming beauty of nature and unwind with debussy s most relaxing piano melodies. The first etude of book i, pour les cinq doigtsdapres monsieur czerny for five fingers after mr.
Claude debussy wrote two books of 12 preludes, book 1 1910 and book 2 19, for a total of 24 preludes. Another critic wrote that book 2 of the preludes is played more successfully than book 1. All twelve preludes of book 2 comprised the final section of the program. By contrast, the nocturnes float on static dreamclouds, and the foullytuned piano throughout the op. The easiest debussy piano pieces and the most difficult. There is no proof that debussy necessarily intended the preludes to be. Michelangeli creates the various ways and moods this prelude needs to be imagined in. Preludes volume 2 by arturo benedetti michelangeli album. The musical form, appearing rather simple on the surface, hides deep connections and patterns of structure that resist traditional modes of explication. Claude debussy is one of the greatest pianists of all time and one of the most prominent composers connected with.
Steven osborne tells us that in preparing this recording he was struck by the enormous scope of these preludes. The performance admires the soft wisps, the great white calm, the mist. 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. The title of the prelude is given at the end of the piece, while a. Ital disc walter gieseking and hans rosbaud play beethoven and mozart.
Canope, the tenth prelude in book 2, though lightly regarded by many critics, presents a particular challenge to the analyst. Complete solo piano music by larissa dedova on apple music. Secondguessers have suggested debussy should have placed this piece into his later collection of piano etudes. A fourhour concert featuring piano music by debussy might seem like an excessive ask. Ive learned to be careful about pronouncing a performance as definitive. This prelude is full of the fantasy of a child watching fog through a window. The enigma, and the preludes the more one learns about claude debussy, the more the enigma grows a composer who revered bach and mozart, yet ultimately eschewed teutonic formalism witness his condemnation of beethovens opus 1 quartet in a letter to pierre louys, dated 2 221895. But he has prepared well, and every prelude glows, always rich in. One hopes that egorovs fine schumann emi recordings will also find an attractively priced home on emis doubleforte series. Czerny, is inspired by the five finger exercises of carl czerny. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. It is the case here, as aimard approaches in a very personal manner to debussy s two books of preludes. In either case no pawns or two queens, the result is a theoretical draw.
We return to a solemn in prelude 10, canope canopic jar. This is the most virtuosic of the book 2 preludes so far. Debussy preludes, book 2 download free sheet music. Claude debussy s preludes are two sets of pieces for solo piano, written in 1910 10 and 1912, and published as book i and ii respectively. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes. Unlike other collections of preludes by great composers, debussy s do not follow a strict pattern of key signature.
Egorovs debussy, though, is what really counts here, and his strong, sensitively nuanced way with this elusive composer more than holds its own in the company of arrau, gieseking, michelangeli. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Pascal roge recorded debussy s preludes book 1 for decca some time ago, and he has remade them, together with book 2, marking the start of a complete cycle of this composers piano works. Preludes volume 2, a classical music album by arturo benedetti michelangeli. Piano exam pieces 2019 and 2020, abrsm grade 6, with cd. I then intend to examine the many varied gestures of prelude vi and their development throughout the piece. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Debussy preludes book ii richter aldeburgh 67 youtube. Indeed i would purchase a book on discussion of his fingering alone. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Nov 16, 2012 there are a couple of pieces where guldas interpretation for me is substantially better than aimards, namely no. Nov 07, 2017 debussy preludes, book 2 composed by claude debussy 18621918.
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