Recordings

Recordings

Debussy / Chaminade

Indesens-Calliope IC052

£19.50 + Delivery

Claude Debussy, a composer of genius, paved the way for modernity, rejecting conventional codes. Although he divided the press in his early days (too modern for some), he quickly established his reputation throughout the world, from circles of Parisian connoisseurs to tribute evenings in St Petersburg. A lover of poetry, literature and painting, but also open to Eastern cultures, he freed himself from strict forms and developed a unique and rich language, tinged with harmonic colours and new sonorities. A representative of French music par excellence, he initiated a veritable revolution and inspired a whole generation of musicians and composers.

On the other hand, Cécile Chaminade, the star pianist and composer of her time, identified with the Romantic school. Nicknamed “my little Mozart” by Georges Bizet, and a close friend of Emmanuel Chabrier, she composed no fewer than 400 works (including 200 pieces for piano) and toured the world, as evidenced by her American tour in 1908, during which she was invited to meet Theodore Roosevelt. An inspiring feminine figure, she gave her name to the “Chaminade Clubs”: places where artists, musicians and composers could meet and share ideas (there were over a hundred of them in the United States at the time). She also cultivated a special bond with the United Kingdom and its English public, premiering many of her pieces in London, counting Queen Victoria among her fans. Much appreciated in France too, she embodied a certain form of tradition and perpetuated the legacy of Romantic music.

I grew up with the music of Claude Debussy, fascinated by its unique colours and sonorities. The piece that opens this CD, “Reflets dans l’eau”, was the first Debussy piece I played when I was 15, and it’s been with me ever since.

I discovered Cécile Chaminade much later and was immediately taken by her music. Although rarely played, her only Piano Sonata is an incredibly beautiful, virtuosic piece, rich in ideas, and it seemed obvious to me to add it to my repertoire. 

It’s interesting to imagine today the richness of the musical landscape of that period. Claude Debussy, the embodiment of Modernity, and Cécile Chaminade, the embodiment of Tradition, both made a major contribution to the influence and worldwide renown of French music in all its diversity at the turn of the twentieth century.

Debussy / Chaminade

Indesens-Calliope IC052

£19.50 + Delivery

Claude Debussy, a composer of genius, paved the way for modernity, rejecting conventional codes. Although he divided the press in his early days (too modern for some), he quickly established his reputation throughout the world, from circles of Parisian connoisseurs to tribute evenings in St Petersburg. A lover of poetry, literature and painting, but also open to Eastern cultures, he freed himself from strict forms and developed a unique and rich language, tinged with harmonic colours and new sonorities. A representative of French music par excellence, he initiated a veritable revolution and inspired a whole generation of musicians and composers.

On the other hand, Cécile Chaminade, the star pianist and composer of her time, identified with the Romantic school. Nicknamed “my little Mozart” by Georges Bizet, and a close friend of Emmanuel Chabrier, she composed no fewer than 400 works (including 200 pieces for piano) and toured the world, as evidenced by her American tour in 1908, during which she was invited to meet Theodore Roosevelt. An inspiring feminine figure, she gave her name to the “Chaminade Clubs”: places where artists, musicians and composers could meet and share ideas (there were over a hundred of them in the United States at the time). She also cultivated a special bond with the United Kingdom and its English public, premiering many of her pieces in London, counting Queen Victoria among her fans. Much appreciated in France too, she embodied a certain form of tradition and perpetuated the legacy of Romantic music.

I grew up with the music of Claude Debussy, fascinated by its unique colours and sonorities. The piece that opens this CD, “Reflets dans l’eau”, was the first Debussy piece I played when I was 15, and it’s been with me ever since.

I discovered Cécile Chaminade much later and was immediately taken by her music. Although rarely played, her only Piano Sonata is an incredibly beautiful, virtuosic piece, rich in ideas, and it seemed obvious to me to add it to my repertoire.

It’s interesting to imagine today the richness of the musical landscape of that period. Claude Debussy, the embodiment of Modernity, and Cécile Chaminade, the embodiment of Tradition, both made a major contribution to the influence and worldwide renown of French music in all its diversity at the turn of the twentieth century.