Debussy: Préludes, Book II (selection) | Richard Goode, piano
An atmospheric performance capturing fleeting moments. Claude Debussy’s Préludes - 24 works spread over two books – are masterpieces of musical impressionism. Here, American pianist Richard Goode presents a selection from the second book (Deuxième Livre). The concert took place on July 29, 2017 at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.
- 00:00 Coming on stage
- 00:20 Préludes, Book II, III. … La puerta del vino
- 03:22 Préludes, Book II, IV. … Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses
- 06:09 Préludes, Book II, V. … Bruyères
- 08:32 Préludes, Book II, VI. … Général Lavine – eccentric
- 11:24 Préludes, Book II, VII. … La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune
- 15:23 Préludes, Book II, VIII. … Ondine
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is considered the founder of musical impressionism, even though he always resisted being labeled an impressionist.
- For the French composer, music was an “art of sound and color”. In his preludes, too, he creates impressionistic soundscapes in which the atmosphere and mood are musically expressed by means of tone colors.
- Historically, Debussy's preludes are in the tradition of the “Préludes non mesuré” (Unmeasured preludes) of Baroque French harpsichord music, the 24 preludes of the Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the 24 Préludes, Op. 28 by Frédéric Chopin.
- In contrast to these famous collections, Debussy's Preludes are not subject to a strict pattern. They go their own way both tonally and in their poetic essence.
While Bach followed the chromatic scale for the keys and Chopin the circle of fifths, Debussy chose the keys according to the character of each piece. Those characters and moods also inspired the often-poetic titles he assigned them...
- …such as “Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses” (Fairies are exquisite dancers) or “La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune” (The terrace of moonlight audiences). But to prevent performers from being influenced by those titles, he placed them at the end of each prelude, rather than at the beginning.
Debussy wrote Book I between December 1909 and February 1910; Book II in 1911 and 1912. The first volume was published by French music publisher Jacques Durand on April 14, 1910. But initially, there was no premiere performance of all twelve pieces in one evening...
- …with Debussy himself giving the first performances of individual preludes.
- The preludes from Book II also only reached the public individually at first.
Nevertheless, both cycles were great successes. When Debussy died in March 1918, Book I had been reprinted five times and Book II twice.
American pianist Richard Goode is internationally recognized as a leading interpreter of classical and romantic music. He regularly appears in the major concert halls and festivals of the classical music world...
- …and performs as a soloist with the most important orchestras in the USA and numerous renowned orchestras in Europe.
Richard Goode is from New York and studied at Mannes College of Music in New York and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. His numerous awards include first prize at the Clara Haskil Competition, the Avery Fisher Prize and a Grammy Award.