A listing of classical music blogs external to musicweb international. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Although you wont find krystian zimermans ultrarefined. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano debussy, claude on. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Although you wont find krystian zimermans ultrarefined fingerwork and wide dynamic range, nor paul jacobs linear perception, theres much to. 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. I dont think they should be rolled, because it easily becomes too lyrical for this piece. 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. His is very much a personal taste, offering too little competition for gieseking emi, who still exerts his old magic, for zimerman and, in book 2, for marc andre hamelin. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy showing 14 of 68 pages in this thesis. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. Claude debussys painterly preludes the subtle, elusive quality of debussys twentyfour preludes is captured perfectly by pianist paul jacobs, who plays them with a tolling, belllike sound.
For his sun oct 6 performance, our guest curator marcandre hamelin will end the concert with the complete debussy preludes book 2 unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at. Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. Debussys two books of preludes amount to a revolution in piano writing, and reflect better that any of his other works the span of debussys achievement. Book i was written between december 1909 and february 1910, and book ii between the last months of 1912 and early april 19. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Claude debussy 18621918 every pianist has a favorite work by debussy, but few would deny the overarching importance of the preludes in setting forth his singular approach to the keyboard. Piemontesi, whose disc is dedicated to ousset, is opulently recorded, a faithful mirror of his magisterial approach. Preludes came out in 1920, years before eliots big, famous poem. The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few.
The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. Jul 05, 2011 every part of conductors life is challenging. Preludes daniele callegari on allmusic 2005 known as a composer of spectral symphonic. Preludes is a pretty name for the poem written by t. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. From the enormity of the repertoire to the geography and travel. Preludes, an album by claude debussy, krystian zimerman on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. The first thing to know about debussys symphonic poem prelude to the. The sheer volume of piano tone pulled from the instrument on the final page is eyebrowraisingly theatrical. Rain song the days of summer are gone, with variations 3. Canope, in contrast, is one of debussy s timeless pieces, inspired by the canopic jar tops of egyptian funerary urns, two of which stood on debussys mantelpiece. Sep 29, 2006 claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussys greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth.
Get an answer for how would you describe the mood of preludes by t. There are evocations of calm seascapes, delicate wind tracery, and snowcovered landscapes. 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. Pucks aerial acrobatics are first interrupted by and then blended with trumpet and horn calls. Another critic wrote that book 2 of the preludes is played more successfully than book 1. Although preludes is presented as a single poem, it is actually a collection of short pieces that t. In typical british march style, it has great verve and a trio tune everybody leaves humming. The one clear fault of the osborne recording is dynamic extremes, which is, i assume, an engineering decision. Critically acclaimed pianist angela brownridge explores the debussy preludes books 1 and 2 for her third recording on challenge classics.
Aug 16, 20 i played canopus from preludes book 2 composed by c. My personal journey through the 24 debussy preludes. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as well as many other instruments. Each book has a particular mode usually based on a tetrachord scale eg. That this was general we can to some extent see from the sales figures quoted by roy howat. British eighth march arr hilliard wind repertory project. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Marcandre hamelin performs complete book 2 of debussys. Book ii ends with a final joke and then a return home. Alexander goehr, one of todays most important british composers. Published in two sets of twelve in 1910 and 19, the preludes comprise a profusion of ideas for connecting sound, mood, and image. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant.
Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Alfred prufrock are among the most famous poems of all time, after all. Although the composer did not think the preludes should be performed as a cycle, book two is perfectly symmetrical with two showpieces at the start and end on the twelve pieces. In pickwick the english charactersketch is still more. The first appeared in 1910, and he composed the second book of twelve preludes over the next several years while he was completing one of his most subtle orchestral scores, the ballet jeux. Maybe i am a lazy pianist but i like editions that have some fingering suggestions so i dont have so much work to do. But with time, the attractions of book ii have become clearer, and it seems likely that its. Debussy composed his two books of piano preludes relatively late in life.
With such puzzling questions in mind, i began my doctoral program of. A new album from marcandre hamelin is always cause for celebration. Prelude where, upon a muted undulation of eighth notes, an octave lower. Debussy rather admired english sangfroid again, those were the days.
In brouillards, the fog is depicted by the simultaneous use of whitenote and. Breiner for orchestra debussy completed his two books of preludes in 1910 and 19 respectively, and they contain some of his most visionary and poetic writing for piano. I was delighted that he has recorded debussys preludes books 1 and 2 for dg in 2012 and decided to get them. Other early works by debussy show his affinity with the english. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 sep29 by steve bryson. Debussys colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. Commons is a freely licensed media file repository. I played canopus from preludes book 2 composed by c. The crosseyed pianist is free to access and adfree, and takes many hours every month to research, write, and maintain. The performances tell it like it is or almost, for not all debussys very demanding contrasts of dynamics are observed, and i imagine collard has small hands, though she makes splitting big stretches sound quite acceptable. Aug 19, 2016 the composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussys music by kodaly in 1907. The prelude is one of debussys most recorded pieces, both in its original.
I have one other schirmer debussy piano book and this compilation book was what led me to purchase this set of preludes. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. Actionadventure british television comedy classics documentaries drama kids scifi. A change of certain notes, phrase lengths and rhythms.
Preludes shows his development in free verse and his. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. The two final preludes of book i are more lighthearted. Or maybe youve seen the famous broadway musical cats, which was based on his work.
Of debussy and ravel thesis presented to the graduate council of the north texas state teachers college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of music by elizabeth rose jameson, b. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Claude debussy composed the second book of preludes during 1910 12. Reviewers logs what they have been listening to for. The music becomes more dramatic toward the end of the set. Recorded live during the marion rubin berman 31 piano honors concert april 12, 2012 in necs jordan hall in boston.
An illustration of debussy s use of dotted note patterns. If you find joy and value in what i do, please consider making a donation to support the continuance of the site. Claude debussy, french composer whose works were a seminal force in the music. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Eliot it suggests music, and also the presage of an event, usually something exciting or something to look forward to. Preludes ii, l1 debussy from cda67920 hyperion records. 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. 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.
Its a small work, by comparison, and doesnt have any of the allusions or quotes in foreign languages that eliot is known for. 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. Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton university. You get two discs for the price of one here, but the discs are only about 42 and 43 minutes worth. Images, preludes book 2 hamelin by debussy, claude on cd. While in an opera or ballet, a prelude may be a mood setting introduction to. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Sep 29, 2009 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. Also recorded here is the second book of preludes, in a poetic and evocative performance. Debussy had been planning preludes for two or three years before the first book was published in 1910, with the second book following in 19. It is the eighth piece in the composers first book of preludes, written between. Soyoung choe performs excerpts from debussys preludes, book 1. Information from its description page there is shown below. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the. Pascal roge recorded debussys 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.
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