Customer Reviews

Debussy: Préludes

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The watery allusions to Debussy music seem to have been taken far too literally by many pianists as well as piano music fans. Attempting to describe something inexpressible in concrete terms is inherently flawed, and to take an irrational "impression" and attempt to distill it down even further, results in loss of clarity. Though the music may be "softer," and less "rigid" and thus more flexible to subjective interpretation, it is distanced from the artist's first message; the music itself. Debussy's music speaks clearly, without the need for "Gaullic" over-sentimentalizing. I've never understood the arguments about Gieseking's Germanic interpretation, as if genetics and not culture were the main influence in one's artistic make-up. Though other great pianists who have recorded these Preludes caress wonderful tones from their instruments(Pollini, Moravec, Arrau), compared to Gieseking's mastery and control of colors and his tonal variety they sound overly warm, mushy even. Listening to Gieseking playing Debussy is to be at the water's edge, sight unimpeded by any mist rising from the surface of the pond, gazing upon a reflection of the moon that is not hazed in by clouds. After him, listening to other recordings is like peering at the same lunar image from the bottom of the pond. Save me Gieseking, I'm drowning...

If you want Debussey's piano preludes, and you want them played perfectly, then this is for you. It's a terrific after dinner album, of durring a nice bath.

This disk won: The Grammophone Award in the UK The Diapason d'Or in France The Prix de l'Academie de disque francais, also in France.

To quote Gramophone magazine, "The difinitive version and an outstanding issue. Neither the playing nor the recording can be faulted." I couldn't agree more.

Along with Mozart: Horn Concertos Nos. 1-4 , La Boheme and Ravel: Piano Concerto in G; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4 , this is one of the finest entries in EMI's wonderful Great Recordings of the Century series. Gieseking gives a beautifully played & extraordinarily thoughtful performance of these pieces, so much so that, at times, I find it hard to imagine anyone else's renderings measuring up, though Michelangeli, for me, is a close second. For 50+ year old mono recordings, the sound is remarkably fresh & vivid (finely captured sonics are a hallmark of many selections in the GROC series.) Despite enjoying many other fine perfomances of these works, Claude Debussy: Préludes, Vol. 1; Images & Debussy:Preludes Volume 2 being chief among them, I can't help but recommend this Walter Gieseking disc as the best version available. This is beautiful music making at the highest of levels.

No one has ever played Debussy better than Walter Gieseking, so the reissues of his vinyl recordings of Debussy and Ravel are always welcome. Because the music is so complex and overtones so important, it is regrettable that Herr Gieseking made these recordings just before the advent of truly modern recording techniques. At times the piano obviously overpowers the microphones and tape machines. Maybe a future remastering could release the genie that at times feels bottled up.
Dr. Juan v. De la Sierra
Sarasota FL

To call Walter Gieseking an extraordinary pianist would be an understatement. After all, how many pianists could study their scores in utter quietude, playing the notes solely in their own minds as a form of practice? Just imagine Gieseking sitting for hours pondering the score with no movement besides his eyes flicking back and forth across the pages. If that wasn't miracle enough, his wife actually tolerated his behavior.

Gieseking is rightly renowned as a great interpreter of Debussy (among others), and here he never fails to disappoint. However, there are disadvantages to listening to a recording that is almost 55 years old. The obvious problem with this recording is that it is a mono recording. Put in laymen's terms, the listener hears "what he would hear at the microphone position if only one of his ears was functioning...in such a system it is not possible to gain any impression of the position of the instrument groupings in an orchestra, nor can lateral movement be indicated." Mono sound is less crippling for the pianist than for an entire orchestra. Nonetheless, the notes in this recording sound a little flatter and lack a little of the luster that you would find in a good stereo recording.

Some might argue that Gieseking's superb interpretation trumps such sound flaws - but I have to disagree. There are other terrific interpreters of Debussy. Hearing Radu Lupu play these same preludes in Orchestra Hall last year was a melodic experience that I won't soon forget, (though sadly Lupu has yet to record it). It's understandable if you are a connoisseur who would like this recording for its historic value or Gieseking's unique interpretation. But it would be a mistake to claim that this is the definitive recording of the preludes or that no other rendition is needed in one's collection.

I hear that Gieseking was a rather horrible human being, but this pristine rendition of Debussy's Preludes is musically flawless. Even the sound quality (from the early fifties) isn't bad at all. Admittedly I haven't heard every version of these much-recorded pieces, but this has to be one of the best. Another great addition to the EMI Great Recordings of the Century series.

Listening to Gieseking play Debussy is like listening to a pianist who sat at his instrument with the composer's score stripped of all dynamic markings and performance instructions and interpreted what he saw like it were Beethoven. There are crescendos where there shouldn't be crescendos and violent and sharply biting outbursts in passages where Debussy is asking of the pianist the most gentle and delicate touch possible. I'm not saying Gieseking isn't a phenomenal pianist from a technical standpoint, but he displays so little regard for the composer's intentions. By all means, buy this record if you want to hear Gieseking, but not if you want to hear Debussy.