Customer Reviews

Debussy: Preludes / Children's Corner

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Freire has reached the level where anything he records is an absolute must-have. He is clearly one of the finest pianists in the world, and also one of the most sincere. For a quick taster, check out track 11. You will be mesmorized.
The recording quality is wonderful. The playing is phenomenally rich, transparent, and subtle. Freire achieves much of the same effect Gieseking did on his EMI recordings. I can only implore you to repeatedly listen to this disc because each listen will impress you further and further. Again, track 11 is one of the most impressive single tracks of Debussy I have ever heard. And I have heard quite a few.
This is one of the finest Debussy releases I have heard period. OF THE HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

...., to my ears, is pianistic impressionism. I like the way he plays Debussy very much, and I love the way he plays Heitor Villa-Lobos, his Brazilian countryman. Why, I'd walk all the way across Sao Paulo at night, in bermuda shorts with my money-belt sticking out, to hear him play Villa-Lobos.

Unfortunately, most of his recordings are of Chopin and Brahms, and I just don't "get" what he has in mind for the romantics. Every swirl and spatter of notes on his Debussy seems to have the right color and the proper density of acoustic pigment. Every phrase of his Brahms ( and I've just recently heard him play a Brahms sonata live in concert) seems arbitrary, as if he were painting with colors chosen by his pet macaw.

Freire has a huge reputation, despite the fact that he tours very little, among musicians I know. This is the CD of his that I can most enthusiastically recommend.

I happened to spend the day with the Debussy Preludes, and Freire's new account was the last I listened to. It is at a far extreme from the chilly perfectionism of Michelangeli and turns out to be both warm and natural. Freire has resurged in the autumn of his career, and yet there's no diminution of tehcnique; what age has brought is a mellow confidence in his ability to phrase. Decca's sound is among the best I've heard for solo piano, so all in all this is a fine CD. One thing to note is that Freire avoids extremes either in tempo or dynamics--nothing is eceentrically slow or fast.

As enjoyable and approachable as Freire is, I hold a special fondness for the Preludes from the late Paul Jacobs, which are in the same natural style but with more originality, alertness, and humor. Still, one has only to listen to Freire's "Clair de lune" at the very end to realize how musical a pianist must be to perform with such touching simplicity.

Although I am definitely not a fan of Debussy, whose music has ever seemed to me a little bit dry and artificial, having little in common with my way of savouring music, when it comes to Nelson Freire I am ready to revise my preconceptions. What prevails in this impressionistic music could be the atmosphere, the mood in which it has to be conveyed while - somehow strange - the music itself remains in a half-dark. And that is precisely the point where Freire finds it worthy and starts exploring its depths in his natural attempt to put them in the spot-light, to fully reveal them to the listener, and - why not? - surprise and contradict dusty habitudes. The approach relies not on that dull dreamy keys-fondling (the old times maestros used to employ in playing Debussy), but follows a mature manner (both cerebral and sensitive) of tackling the essence of the score. I dare say, not in pianistic terms but in musical ones. This is in benefit of the result which showcases Freire's magisterial command of the piano and his refined musicianship. A lot of wonderful colours spread up, an inspired delicacy flows throughout, as Freire's elegant touch singles out this version and makes its unbelievably consistent charm.

After listening to this superb recording (that weakened my reserve to Debussy) the only question is: when will Nelson Freire think to record the second book of Preludes?

One of my most cherished CD's is Salzburg, Argerich and Freire playing Brahms' Haydn variations. For which I mindlessly felt Argerich was primarily and nearly solely responsible. I checked Freire's Debussy Preludes out from the library, gave it a brief distracted listen and returned it, thinking it was boring. Later, because Salzburg is one of Argerich's finest CD's, I listened again to this Freire CD with more patience, realized it is great playing, and bought it (an Amazon Verified Purchase). Freire increased my regard for Debussy substantially. I love Freire's Chopin Etudes which are far more musical than many great pianist's I won't name because I love them.