Debussy: Images / Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune / Printemps - The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez

Claude Debussy (Composer), Pierre Boulez (Conductor), The Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: The Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: Pierre Boulez
• Composer: Claude Debussy
• Audio CD (February 16, 1993)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GGI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,830 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Pierre Boulez recorded all of Debussy's major orchestral works for Sony, and those generally excellent performances are still available at mid-price. Like so many conductors Boulez has mellowed somewhat with age--and unlike most conductors, he is the first to admit it. His earlier performances were characterized by an analytical clarity that some found fascinating and uniquely compelling, and which left others cold. These new versions preserve the precision of his earlier ones, but find room for an extra measure of warmth and flexibility. The result is stunning Debussy, and DG's sumptuous recording captures it all in panoramic sound. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Debussy, December 6, 2000

By	"jdflynnno" (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

If your idea of Debussy is lush orchestration, sensuous moods and seeing a Monet or a Renoir behind every note, then Boulez's interpretations of Debussy won't be for you. Although Boulez first recorded Debussy in the 1960s for Columbia (now Sony and still available; get the 2-CD set if you can find it), his way with Debussy hasn't really changed much. It might not be as detached, but it's wonderful just the same. Basically, Boulez sees Debussy as a great COMPOSER, not just a "Master of Impressionism." Boulez's legendary ear for sonority and balance decongests Debussy's music into something that is more commonly known as the cool, clear Boulez sound. You HEAR every note, every phrase, every progression. So instead of being coaxed into benign sublimity by other conductors when it comes to Debussy, the listener is forced to realize the enormous inventiveness Debussy had to get his musical ideas across. You discover Debussy is not just another cleverly skilled orchestrator, e.g., Rimsky-Korsakov, but one of the greatest composers who ever lived. The DG recording process, of course, is without peer, and the Cleveland Orchestra, naturally, plays superbly. But Boulez's way with his fellow Frenchman is simply uncanny. It might not be as beautfilly done as say Toscanini, Reiner, Karajan or Stokowski would. But if Boulez's real aim is to present Debussy clearly, effectively and without distorted tempis, he has succeeded immensely. Boulez's other recent DG recording with the Cleveland Orchestra with La Mer and Jeux is just as fine.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sonic splendor., January 6, 2005

By	John Austin "[e-mail]" (Kangaroo Ground, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Debussy's orchestral works provide some of the most alluring and luscious sounds in all music. Sonority and textual clarity are wonderfully impressive in this recording of three of them conducted by Pierre Boulez. The Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune - occupying from eight to eleven minutes in the various versions in my collection - runs for nearly nine minutes here. Alert listeners might recognize the English folk song "The Keel Row" darting in and out of the dance that opens Images. I especially like Printemps, the earliest known Debussy orchestral work, dating from his 25th year. In this work, the orchestral forces include a piano.

The Cleveland Orchestra under the French conductor was recorded by the German DGG technicians in Cleveland in March 1991.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Too Seldom Recorded 'Printemps', April 13, 2007

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Pierre Boulez may not be everyone's ideal of an impressionist conductor (think Charles Münch) but when it comes to allowing the inner ear to appreciate the intricacies of why Debussy was such a profound influence on contemporary music, Boulez (and Esa-Pekka Salonen) are the maestros to address.

After experiencing a performance by Salonen and the LA Phil of the 'Printemps' (perfection!) the question arises 'why are there so very few recordings of this early work by Debussy?'. While there are many recordings of the other two works on this CD, there are only a few worthy samples of 'Printemps'. The work is a suite in two parts: though Debussy loathed the idea of putting word descriptors for his tone poems, he claimed this work was not about 'Spring' but instead about the creation of life and then a celebration of that creation. The first movement opens with a piano four-hands melody that is slowly absorbed by the entire (large) orchestra. Once the melody has bloomed into full embodiment of life, the second movement uses the motifs to create a sensuous dance.

Boulez finds the subtleties in this youthful work, pointing out how Debussy's gifts were present from the beginning and what better way to make his point than to join the 'Printemps' with the later 'Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune' and 'Images'. The Cleveland Orchestra responds to Boulez in a fluid and otherworldly sound. This is a fine recording and given the paucity of other examples of 'Printemps' it is one of the best. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 07