CLAUDE DEBUSSY

 

Images inédites, Estampes for piano, Le Petit Nègre, Six épigraphes antiques, Danse Bohémienne, Rêverie, Mazurka, Ballade slave, Valse romantique, Nocturne, Danse, Morceau de concours, Hommage à Haydn, La plus que lente, Berceuse héroïque, Pour l'oeuvre du vêtement blessé, Élégie, Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon, Le Sommeil de Lear

 

Alain Planès (Steinway piano)

 

"You are wrong to publish the Rêverie . . . It was a trifling piece, written very quickly . . . in two words: it's bad!  As to Pour le piano, I will only let you have it on condition no more is said about the Mazurka." Debussy wrote

 

these words to the wife of the publisher Eugène Fromont in 1905. Fortunately, his severe judgment has not been shared by the many pianists who have successfully performed the youthful works disowned by their composer. Mostly published in 1890, but probably composed between 1880 and 1890, they charm the listener with their elegant melodies, the refinement of their harmonies and their discreet expressiveness. Alain Planès here concludes his recording of Debussy's complete solo piano works, combining incidental music for the

stage, isolated and occasional pieces with acknowledged masterpieces such as the suite Pour le piano.

 

Harmonia Mundi 2cds HMC901947-48