Customer Reviews

Debussy: Piano Music Vol.1

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

 

 

Let me start off by counteracting the 2-star review here. For one thing, the 'Clair de Lune 2' is in fact on this set. As well, the liner notes, while not as thorough as others still give significant detail on all the piano works. In fact, I'm doubtful if the man was even received the item listed on this page!

This is a rare compilation, filled with ALL of debussy's works for piano, including the relatively new "images oubliees' as well as all three Ballet scores, "Jeux", "Khamma" and "The Toybox"

The playing is quite distinct and significant to the detail of how Debussy's works may be played. Though I'm not a professional musician so I might be a bit off on that.

It's definitely worth the purchase if you desire to have Debussy's complete piano ouevre all in one bundle. The quality of the recording is equivalnet to the fabled hyperion label, and for good reason. A worthy purchase.

This is the first time I've written a review. I felt almost obligated to do so...perhaps because of the one negative review above. This is the best Debussy playing I've heard in a long time. The interpretations are hard to criticise. Fergus-Thompson's playing is sensitive, never rushed, and always at the service of the music. The sound (recorded in Henry Wood Hall, London) is stunning...full, ripe, and reverberent... perfect for this music. If I had to give up 90% of my extensive, carefully chosen classical music collection, this set would remain. And it's a bargain!

...I'm listening to excerpts that Amazon.com has available and it's obvious that this is one of the superior sets of Debussy's complete piano music to come along. Compare, for instance, Reverie to the Jones recording. Jones takes it absurdly fast and plays it like an exercise. Fergus-Thompson's tempos are intelligent and his phrasing is exquisite -- he really makes the music say something, and that's what it's all about.

I bought this set on the suggestion of a friend, and it's some of the most fabulous Debussy playing I've heard!

Gordon Fergus-Thompson's tone is just *delicious* -- etherial in slow pieces, electrifying in the fast pieces. The interpretations are spot on.

I note there were two bad reviews of this CD. It makes me wonder if those two reviewers may have had defective CDs.

I enthusiastically recommend this collection!

It's great to have this set of all of Debussy's piano music. I've played this at work, over and over again, and it has helped me to become familiar with one of the world's most important composers. Anyone who has never heard the "Suite Bergamasque" should check it out as soon as possible - by any performer. It's an incredibly beautiful piece. I think that, with Debussy, having multiple performances in your collection is a must.

What we have here is a Five disc set of wonderful performances of the varied and brilliant music of Claude Debussy performed by pianist Martin Jones, recorded and mastered by Nimbus and at a reasonable price! What more could one ask for??? How about more recordings by this artist?

I love Martin Jones, as an artist, musician and performer. The explorative programming of his vast repertoire and discography is intriguing and adorable. I am as much fascinated by his artistry and recording legacy as by Hamelin's, the world-reknowned Canadian supervirtuoso Hamelin. So, do I also love Nimbus as a label, a records producing company? In the case of JonesPlaysSzymanowski, yes, fully. Here, sorry, no. I am not talking about Jones' performance nor the Nimbus recording quality if this is what interests you (Are you a comparative listener, or a collector? I am the latter :P ). Both performance and recorded sound are equal to Hamelin and hyperion standards, no doubt. In this review I am talking about the quality of a product as a whole. Well it is nice to have a single "complete"-box, that's why I chose to buy it online from amazon, but what ruins its quality is the carelessness with which it was prepared: First, of minor importance, the fact that the album is *not* complete: a comparison with the recent recording project of Debussy's Complete Piano Music by Bennett Lerner on Bridge reveals that Jones did not include the known 'Etude Retrouvée', the in 2001 newly-discovered 'Intermède (1880)', nor the yes-such-a-thing-exists 'Suite Bergamasque No.2'(!!). Second, more important, the size and content of the booklet is ridiculous. The track listing gives only one piece of information per track: its main title, nothing else. Nothing on the year of composition/publication, nothing on the sub-/supertitle if existing, nothing on the key, nothing on the movement speed/tempo. The track listing is absolutely cheap, non-informative and worthless. Not much better the rest of the booklet. Each work is mentioned, if at all, with a single short useless sentence or phrase saying practically nothing. The type size (character height) has been chosen BIG so that you have 5 written pages. With the standard (small) type size of the booklet of e.g. Jones' Szymanowski-box you would have ended up with 3 pages only! Totally ridiculous and cheap, of no worth. Just imagine, you have one of the chief oeuvre of early 20th-century piano music in hand FILLING FIVE FULL discs, and Nimbus Records only cares to write 5 (=3) pages of liner notes. You cannot imagine how disappointed I was, when i opened the box and spotted this inane booklet. I do enjoy the music itself and still listen to these Nimbus CD's quite often but I have decided to resell my box at marketplace. Hopefully you are interested in this release (that's why you are reading my review, isnt it?) and buy it from me, thanks, appreciated! In near future I will then go for the LernerPlaysDebussy edition, I guess..

If you are expecting to hear another recording and interpretation by another amateur aritst published by another unheard of record label, then you will recieve preciesly what you expected.
The recording and intepretations provide another 'intepretation' by another rather unestablished 'concert pianist', lacking the profound musical understanding, performance and interpretation only attaintable by the greats.
It is better to trust reputed record labels when buying recordings of these works

This "pianist" is one of them who are driving the piano playing and art in general, hundred years back.