Debussy: Préludes - Book 1: No. 2, Voiles (Sails)

“The diaphonous atmospheric detail from the strings and subtle wind colouring in Jeux, Debussy's poème dansé, require great delicacy of feeling and sensuous caressing from the violins in the moments of restrained ecstasy, which are exquisitely realised here. The transparent acoustic of the Bridgewater Hall and the balancing skill of producer Andrew Keener add to the allure of this miraculous score, with the violent climax superbly graduated and the closing pages returning spontaneously to the opening mood.
The programme is completed by 12 more of Colin Matthews's highly imaginative orchestrations of Debussy's piano Préludes, and these, to my ears, have even more distinction than the first group, which came in harness with Mark Elder's compelling Hallé account of La mer (see above). The shimmering textures Matthews creates from the 'Danseuses de Delphes', 'Des pas sur la neige' and 'Les fées sont d'exquises' are even more translucently exotic, balanced by the luxuriance of 'Bruyères'. If not quite matching Stokowski's famous over-the-top transcription, 'La cathédrale engloutie' produces a splendidly expansive, watery spectacle, tolling bell included, which is sonorously moving. However, 'S Pickwick Esq', with its side drum and mock-solemn national anthem snippet on the brass, feels rather too heavily pompous, not witty enough, and 'Feux d'artifice', too, is a bit of a damp squib – it sounds much more effective in its barer piano original. Moreover, Colin Matthews's own Monsieur Croche makes an exuberantly brilliant postlude, even if its helter-skelter progress obviously includes very few crochets. Altogether this is a fascinating and rewarding disc and is well worth aquiring to make a pair, alongside its illustrious companion.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…Jeux… has an underlying eroticism. The diaphanous atmospheric detail from the strings and subtle wind colouring in Debussy's poème dansé require great delicacy of feeling and sensuous caressing from the violins in the movements of restrained ecstasy, which are exquisitely realised here. The transparent acoustic of the Bridgewater Hall and the balancing skill of producer Andrew Keener add to the allure of this miraculous score, with the violent climax superbly graduated and the closing pages returning spontaneously to the opening mood. Altogether this is a fascinating and rewarding disc...” Gramophone Magazine, June 2009

“Matthews's exquisite treatment of this supremely pianistic music goes far beyond mere orchestration. While some of his arrangements are relatively straightforward - Danseuses de Delphes, which opens the first book and with which this sequence also opens, for instance, is a relatively strict translation of the original into orchestral terms - pieces such as Bruyères and Feux d'Artifice are virtually recomposed, though they never trespass beyond Debussy's own musical world. The whole set is a remarkable achievement, and Elder and his orchestra play these pieces with great care and sensitivity. Yet by comparison their account of Jeux seems rather lumbering, applying colour with a broad brush to what should be needle-point detail. The disc remains a treat, though.” The Guardian, 20th February 2009 ****

“Matthews’s creative finesse is remarkable: the pieces aren’t simply dressed in orchestral clothes, rather sensitively re-imagined for an expanded palette of refined colours by a gifted contemporary composer.” The Times, 17th July 2010 ****