Debussy: Clair de lune & Other Piano Favourites

Claude Debussy (Composer), Francois-Joël Thiollier (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Francois-Joël Thiollier
• Composer: Claude Debussy
• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0001N9ZCA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,798 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #2 in	Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Short Forms > Character Pieces
  #5 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( D ) > Debussy, Claude
  #7 in	Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Suites

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Debussy Favorites in OK Performances, Variable Sound, May 23, 2004

By	J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Francois-Joël Thiollier has recorded much of Debussy's piano music for Naxos. This CD appears to be a 'favorites' album drawn from several previous issues. The most familiar and probably the best-loved Debussy pieces are here, beginning with a dreamy (but somewhat soupily-recorded) 'Clair de lune' ('Moonlight'). [The cover illustration is a nice reproduction of Eugène Boudin's gorgeous 'The Effect of the Moon.'] As of yet Amazon has not listed the contents, so I shall do so: Clair de lune, La plus que lente, Arabesque Nos. 1 & 2, Le petit nègre, excerpts from The Children's Corner (The snow is dancing, The little shepherd, Golliwog's cakewalk), La soirée dans Grénade, Jardin sous la pluie, Valse romantique, Tarantelle styrienne, Toccata, Reflets dans l'eau, Poissons d'or, Mazurka, Révérie, The Girl with the Golden Hair, and The Engulfed Cathedral.

Thiollier often takes slower than usual tempi, and he often sounds rather deliberate or even stodgy as a result. This is not to say there aren't some quicker tempi taken: 'Le petit nègre' starts off with a real Gottschalkian verve, but when he comes to the second theme he backs off. 'Poissons d'or' ('Goldfish') swim excitedly (and beautifully). 'The snow is dancing' all right, but it seems to be doing a sarabande. These are pretty straight interpretations; one misses the drama or sadness in, say, Golliwog's Cakewalk. I think one problem in all these performances is a lack of crisp articulation. Debussy's soft-edged harmonies can lead a pianist to play in a flaccid, dreamy fashion and that works for some of the pieces, but on the whole Debussy requires more rhythmic spine, and that is often lacking here.

The primary thing going for this compilation is the price. But I couldn't recommend it to anyone other than someone on a sharply restricted budget and who wants these particular pieces. For somewhat more outlay, one could have performances by say, the fabled Michelangeli or the spectacular Kocsis or the legendary Gieseking.

TT=78:10

Scott Morrison

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Music, March 17, 2009

By	Misti L. Mclain (Kansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Debussy's work collected here is beautiful! Thank you for a great experience I can keep repeating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love at first listen, February 21, 2009

By	R. Abram "ressie" (dallas tx) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have looked for this song and composer for so many years, since I first saw Frankie & Johnny. I love it and it stays in my car.