Search - Claude Debussy, Gilbert Kalish, Paul Jacobs :: Debussy: Etudes for Piano, Books I & II; En blanc et noir

Outstanding survey of Debussy's etudes

jsa | San Diego, CA United States | 05/16/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Debussy's etudes, like Chopin's, to whom they were dedicated, are technical exercises. But, like Chopin's etudes, Debussy's are also wonderful music; and it takes an artist with great insight and executional skills to present a balanced picture of these challenging pieces. Paul Jacobs does a splendid job in this respect. Even though he appears to be a superb technician, he does not focus on display, and this makes his readings of the etudes immensely appealing. Pollini, whose steely brilliance is something to reckon with, delivers showers of sparks that have undeniable appeal whereas Jacobs seems more humane and musical. Uchida, whose etudes have been reference recordings for decades, sounds like a hyperactive sewing machine compared to Jacobs. While I couldn't say that Jacobs' playing is definitive in every etude (for example "Pour les arpeges composes" sounds flat-footed compared to Horowitz's incandescent reading: Romantic & Impressionist Era), his renderings are in general quite wonderful. The only downfall here is the recorded sound which is rather dry and hard-edged, and the instrument Jacobs plays (a Baldwin or Bosendorfer?) may be partly to blame. If not for this, I would award five stars.



This disc is rounded out by a live performance of "En blanc et noir" where Jacobs is joined by Gilbert Kalish. This is of less interest than the etudes and the sound is even less attractive.



As an aside, twelve of the twenty-two pages of liner notes are devoted to the pianist, who died in 1983 - a bit over the top I would say. The producers would have served his memory better by letting these fine recordings speak for themselves. Perhaps this has been addressed in more recent releases as the cd I own has a 1987 copyright date...."