Autore: Ashish Xiangyi Kumar
1614vista
57m 3sunghezza
78valutazione

Debussy’s two sets of Images, much like Ravel’s Miroirs, must count as one of the high pinnacles of piano-writing: in sheer compositional intricacy and evocativeness they are *nearly* unmatched in all the literature. The pieces might as well be case studies in how to ideally use so many of the techniques the Impressionists introduced [to the Western tradition]: chordal planing; parallel and more generally non-functional harmonies; pentatonic and whole-tone scales; unprepared modulation; glittering passages which serve purely textural function. You’ve got Reflets dans l’eau, opening with a single pebble dropping into still water; Hommage à Rameau, with ironically antiquated modal harmony; the incessant whirring of Mouvement; the tiered whole-tone bells of Cloches à travers les feuilles; the mystic parallel chords of Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut; and the sudden, minute, brilliant darting of goldfish in Poissons d’or. The two performances here are both superb but radically different. Bavouzet’s playing is ultra-sensuous, free, beguiling: just listen to the rubato in the opening of Reflets dans l’eau. His use of the pedal is so carefully modulated it’s hard to believe, and the voicing of chords and complex figuration is controlled with utmost sensitivity. Lortie’s playing is cooler than Bavouzet’s, but it has a assured steadiness that’s pretty convincing: this is a recording in the “follow the bloody score and the music will take care of itself” vein. The difference between the two pianists’ approaches is perhaps best illustrated by the opening passages of Mouvement: Bavouzet gives you a pulsating murmur where every note’s outline is blurred, but Lortie articulates every single note cleanly, giving the piece a sort of atomic, insect-like sound. Bavouzet – Book I: 00:00 – Reflets dans l’eau (Reflections in the Water) [from 1:20 the way Bavouzet gives each run a distinct colour is pretty incredible] 04:58 – Hommage à Rameau 11:02 – Mouvement Book II: 14:07 – Cloches à travers les feuilles (Bells Through the Leaves) 18:24 – Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut (And the Moon Sets over the Temple That Was) [19:22] 23:12 – Poissons d’or (Goldfish) Thibaudet – Book I: 26:39 – Reflets dans l’eau (Reflections in the Water) 32:04 – Hommage à Rameau 39:53 – Mouvement Book II: 43:24 – Cloches à travers les feuilles (Bells Through the Leaves) 47:46 – Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut (And the Moon Sets over the Temple That Was) 53:27 – Poissons d’or (Goldfish)