Debussy: Symphonie in B minor

Volume 6 in Naxos’s popular series presents five highly diverse works in gorgeous orchestrations by Debussy’s colleagues or later admirers. Indeed, pieces such as Clair de lune and Printemps may even be better known in these seductive guises than in their original forms. Of particular interest is Debussy’s sole attempt at composing a symphony, a youthful work imbued with the spirit of French Romanticism, only the first movement of which he completed.

Jun Märkl’s exemplary interpretations of Debussy’s orchestral music have been praised for their “subtle and sensitive readings” (Gramophone). “This is bewitching music-making that should on no account be missed … One of the finest discs Naxos has ever released” Classic FM on Volume 1 (8570759).

An innovative genius, Claude Debussy is famous for his mature ‘Impressionist’ music, though he rather disliked the term. He frequently performed four-hand piano pieces in concert, most of the works on this disc either being composed or adapted by him for this line-up. The imaginative figuration, kaleidoscopic sonorities and moments of dazzling virtuosity found in these rarely heard works from the 1880s are a testament to Debussy’s skills both as a performer and a composer. Pianists Adrienne Soós and Ivo Haag have been a firmly-established piano duo for more than fifteen years, becoming one of the leading ensembles in Switzerland.

If it is true that the end of Romanticism coincided with the invention of electric light, then we can date this to 1880 -- the year in which Thomas Alva Edison patented the light bulb. At around this time, a brilliant student at the Paris Conservatoire, Claude Debussy, decided to embark upon a composing career that would soon 'illuminate' the history of music.

Debussy's output is roughly divided into three periods, each of which is represented by one of the three discs in this set. Focusing solely on his works for piano duo, the collection effectively represents a vantage point from which to analyse his stylistic development, since it touches on both Debussy's piano and orchestral writing simultaneously: as well as original keyboard works (Lindaraja is one example, the composer's first work inspired by Spain), there are piano pieces arranged for orchestra, vice-versa compositions (Prélude a l'après-midi d'un faune, for instance) and music that was clearly intended for the orchestra or for specific ensembles (one example is Le triomphe de Bacchus, for which the orchestration was never completed).

Performing these works are two of Italy's most celebrated pianists, Massimiliano Damerini and Marco Rapetti. Their accomplished readings highlight the unique relationship that exists between piano and orchestra -- the former can be seen as a monochromatic version of the latter, with the latter essentially describing the former in polychromatic terms -- and, at the same time, draw the listener's attention towards an important area of 19th-century music-making: namely piano transcriptions' vital role in making operatic and symphonic repertoire available to all.

Other information:

- The only really complete edition of Debussy's output for piano duo! Recorded in 2012, Carrara, Italy.

- This set not only contains the original works for piano 4-hands or 2 pianos (such as Petite Suite, En blanc et noir) but also the composer's transcriptions of orchestral works (such as the famous Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faun, La Mer). Several pieces receive their CD premiere in this set (the Symphony).

- Debussy, a skilled pianist himself, never made a dry piano reduction of his orchestral works, but took pains to create pianistic masterworks, able to stand on its own.

- Two of Italy's best pianists join forces in this beautiful and inspired performance of Debussy's output for piano duo: Massimiliano Damerini and Marco Rapetti.

- Includes comprehensive booklet notes and artist biographies.

A Decca Classics unlimited edition, including Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s acclaimed recordings of the solo piano music, as well as Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky’s Deutsche Grammophon recordings of the works for two pianos and for piano duet.

This collection contains all Debussy’s works for orchestra as well as many orchestral arrangements of his piano music. Together these display a rich panorama of Debussian sound and a remarkable insight into the composer. Established arrangements by Debussy’s contemporaries, including Ravel and Caplet, are complemented by more recent arrangements from composers such as Colin Matthews and Robin Holloway. The conductor Jun Märkl believes that Debussy ‘set up a model of orchestration for the rest of the twentieth century’ and it is with this conviction that he draws from the Orchestre National de Lyon such ‘world-class playing’ (American Record Guide).

Following our successful Mahler and Chopin editions, this is a joint Deutsche Grammophon/Decca Classics unlimited edition with benchmark Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics recordings.

All his important works: orchestral (with Pierre Boulez); piano (with Krystian Zimerman, Jean-Yves Thibaudet); opera (Claudio Abbado’s Pelléas et Mélisande); mélodies (with Véronique Dietschy); chamber music (with Arthur Grumiaux, Melos Quartet, Lynn Harrell.

Cap box with new essays and illustrations.