Debussy's Greatest Hits

Claude Debussy was a seminal force in the advent of musical modernism in the early 20th century. He pushed the bounds of harmony and form, and raised the element of musical color or “timbre” to new level of prominence. By virtue of this emphasis on color, his music was tagged as “Impressionist”, akin to like-named school of painting – something he vigorously rejected. Regardless, his music has remained tremendously popular by audiences and performers alike. This concert features a mix of piano, chamber, orchestral, and vocal works.
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L.86 Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L.86 (arr. chamber ensemble)
The son of a shopkeeper and a seamstress, Debussy began piano studies at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 11. While a student there, he encountered the wealthy Nadezhda von Meck (most famous as Tchaikovsky's patroness), who employed him as a music teacher to her children; through travel, concerts and acquaintances, she provided him with a wealth of musical experience. Most importantly, she exposed the young Debussy to the works of Russian composers, such as Borodin and Mussorgsky, who would remain important influences on his music.
L'isle joyeuse, L.106 Adrienne Hauser
Debussy began composition studies in 1880, and in 1884 he won the prestigious Prix de Rome with his cantata L'enfant prodigue. This prize financed two years of further study in Rome—years that proved to be creatively frustrating. However, the period immediately following was fertile for the young composer; trips to Bayreuth and the Paris World Exhibition (1889) established, respectively, his determination to move away from the influence of Richard Wagner, and his interest in the music of Eastern cultures.
Cello Sonata in D-, L.135 Natalia Gutman Prologue
Estampes, L.100 Pavel Gintov Pagodes
Debussy's personal life was punctuated by unfortunate incidents, most famously the attempted suicide of his first wife, Lilly Texier, whom he abandoned for the singer Emma Bardac. However, his subsequent marriage to Bardac, and their daughter Claude-Emma, whom they called "Chouchou" and who became the dedicatee of the composer's Children's Corner piano suite, provided the middle-aged Debussy with great personal joys.
Children's Corner, L.113 Moscow Chamber Orchestra Renaissance Golliwog's Cakewalk
Danse sacrée et danse profane, for harp and orchestra, L.103 Olga Erdeli Danse sacrée
Suite Bergamasque, L.75 (includes 'Clair de lune') Maki Sekiya Clair de lune
Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano, L.116 Evgeny Petrov
Images, Book 1, L.110 Michio Nishihara-Toro Reflets dans l'eau
L'enfant prodigue, scène lyrique for voices and orchestra, L.57 Helikon Opera Lia's Recitative and Aria ('L'Année, en vain Chasse l'Année')After a relatively bohemian period, during which Debussy formed friendships with many leading Parisian writers and musicians (not least of which were Mallarmé, Satie, and Chausson), the year 1894 saw the enormously successful premiere of his Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)—a truly revolutionary work that brought his mature compositional voice into focus. His seminal opera Pelléas et Mélisande, completed the next year, would become a sensation at its first performance in 1902. The impact of those two works earned Debussy widespread recognition (as well as frequent attacks from critics, who failed to appreciate his forward-looking style), and over the first decade of the twentieth century he established himself as the leading figure in French music—so much so that the term "Debussysme" ("Debussyism"), used both positively and pejoratively, became fashionable in Paris. Debussy spent his remaining healthy years immersed in French musical society, writing as a critic, composing, and performing his own works internationally. He succumbed to colon cancer in 1918, having also suffered a deep depression brought on by the onset of World War I.
Violin Sonata in G-, L.140 Eduard Grach Allegro vivo