Customer Reviews

Claude Debussy: Chamber Music

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the finest CD's I own. Not many people are familiar with Debussy's Chamber Music, but he composed some of the finest examples in the repertoire. The Athena Ensemble is obviously a brilliantly talented group of musicians who understand the complex and sophisticated harmonics, molodics, and rhythmics in Debussy's works, and they treat his masterpieces with love. This CD is exquisite and perfect, and will display Debussy's genius to anyone with a caring ear, while remaining subtle. Debussy's chamber music is a secret that more people should know about, and this CD is the finest collection of it.

Incredibly beautiful. The Rapsodie for Clarinet is much clearer with piano accompaniment than with full orchestra. Only negative I see (or hear) is a bit of noise on the Syrinx track. Performances are top notch, unrushed, gently soothing. I wouldn't subtract two stars for not including the String Quartet, which is available in many fine performances on other CD's. This recording is a treat to listen to with a good set of headphones.

Hardly a day goes by that this Debussy CD isn't in my player. On a hot summer afternoon, it's as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of ice water. That's not to say the Athena Ensemble turn this music into pleasant background noise -- the performances are both subtle and vital, and feel as natural as the weather.

The Chandos recording is lovely, not nearly as heavy on the reverb as many of their CDs adding just the right touch of depth and atmosphere. Notes are sparse but adequate. And the beautiful reproduction of the Monet on the cover is the icing on the cake.

This CD is part of my life now; it might easily become a part of yours as well.

This was the first collection of Debussy's late sonatas that I ever owned and it is still overall the most well rounded collection out there. There are finer versions available separately of each of the works on this disc, but this is the only album that brings together all of them in top drawer performances. While there are plenty of great recordings of the Violin sonata on the market, this version of the Sonata for flute, viola and harp may be the best anywhere.

What ruins this set is the omission of the String Quartet, one of Debussy's finest works.