Search - Claude Debussy, Josef Klicka, Martin Jones :: Debussy: Clair de Lune and other Piano Favourites

Debussy isn't all sleepy classical elevator music.

04/11/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Martin Jones executes a technical tour de force in this sampler of music from the Debussy piano repertoire. The selections are a mix of lively and placid pieces (proving that Debussy isn't all sleepy classical elevator music.) The selections include not only the famous "Claire de Lune" (Moonlight), but also the magnificent "La Cathedrale Engloutie" (The Sunken Cathedral), and the scintillating "Feux D'artifice" (Fireworks). On "Ce Qu'a Vu Le Vent D'Ouest" (What the West Wind Saw), one can almost imagine the wind sweeping the keyboard, rather than the pianist. The pieces "Golliwog's Cake-Walk" and "'General Lavine': Eccentric" are Debussy's salute to ragtime. Of course, some of Debussy's softer works are also here, including the tender "La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin" (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair), and the serene, mysterious "Et La Lune Descend Sur Le Temple Qui Fut" (And the Moon Descends on the Temple Which Was). Detailed information about each piece is included in the liner notes. On the negative side, the two Etudes, as the last two tracks on the CD, seem to have been added to take up unused space on the disk. Also, a few of the pieces (in particular "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum") are played a bit too fast, perhaps. Minor criticisms aside, the listener wanting a well-rounded and brilliantly executed sample of Debussy piano pieces should consider buying this CD. "Hardcore" Debussy fans may wish to purchase one of the several multiple-disk sets of Debussy piano works that have been released. --Mark J. Walter"