Debussy: Préludes Books 1 & 2

Advantages: Dreamy, peaceful, emotional music; range of abilities catered for
Disadvantages: None!

...From a piano player's point of view, Debussy is a true master of the composing craft. His pieces wash over you as you play, enfolding you in the various emotions - joy, sadness, surprise, peace - which are so deeply engrained in the music. There are pieces to suit all abilities, from the (for the most part) fairly easy Rêverie to some of the fiendishly difficult Préludes, for which the scores look like nothing you've seen on earth; and whilst the pieces on occasion may sound discordant and even simply bad at first, stick with them as every time you will in the end be richly rewarded. Playing a Debussy piece isn't about learning notes and precise regimented time signatures, as with Bach for example. It's about letting your emotions flow out into the piano, about letting yourself go completely, just for a few moments. Start with Rêverie... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing pianistic performances
Disadvantages: I can't play like that

.... This however has not created Jacks (or Jills) of all genres, they capture the romance and drama of Debussy with a sensitivity that is incredibly hard to match. The Album En Blanc et Noir is the actual title of the album, although ciao has decided it is simply the 'Debussy Album' and it includes a number of Debussy's works, some written for 2 pianos, and others as duets (4 hands on 1 piano) At the time that Debussy was writing, ie the turn of the 20th Century there were few duets or 2 piano pieces written specifically as duets. It was more normal to find thing transcribed for 2 pianos for pieces that you would more normally expect to hear as orchestral works, simple rearranged to fit 2 pianos. Debussy did this the other way around all the pieces on this album with the exception of the Nocturnes, which was a transcription by Maurice Ravel, a fine... Read review

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Advantages: A varied and well-produced concept album.
Disadvantages: Fails to capture the spirit of Poe's works.

...for the CD release eleven years later (some years after Welles' death), which saw Parsons return to the original masters and re-master the whole thing completely. Whether this was for purely aesthetic reasons or George Lucas style revision of history, this is the version of the album we have today. 1. A Dream Within a Dream 2. The Raven 3. The Tell-Tale Heart 4. The Cask of Amontillado 5. (The System Of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether 6. The Fall of the House of Usher: Prelude 7. The Fall of the House of Usher: Arrival 8. The Fall of the House of Usher: Intermezzo 9. The Fall of the House of Usher: Pavane 10. The Fall of the House of Usher: Fall 11. To One in Paradise It's always great to see songwriters tackling the literary classics, whether they succeed or fail embarrassingly, and this isn't exactly one of the most enlightening. Poe's stories... Read review

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