Debussy: The Complete Works For Piano | Claude Debussy, Kurt Schroder, ...

Debussy: The Complete Works For Piano | Claude Debussy, Kurt Schroder, ... | Good memories

classical music:

Debussy: The Compl...

	Debussy: The Complete Works For Piano Claude Debussy, Kurt Schroder, ... EMI Classics, 1997 average customer review:based on 18 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Save me, I'm drowning...

The watery allusions to Debussy music seem to have been taken far too literally by many pianists as well as piano music fans. Attempting to describe something inexpressible in concrete terms is inherently flawed, and to take an irrational "impression" and attempt to distill it down even further, results in loss of clarity. Though the music may be "softer," and less "rigid" and thus more flexible to subjective interpretation, it is distanced from the artist's first message; the music itself. Debussy's music speaks clearly, without the need for "Gaullic" over-sentimentalizing. I've never understood the arguments about Gieseking's Germanic interpretation, as if genetics and not culture were the main influence in one's artistic make-up. Though other great pianists who have recorded these pieces caress wonderful tones from their instruments, compared to Gieseking's mastery and control of colors and his tonal variety they sound overly warm, mushy even. Listening to Gieseking playing Debussy is to be at the water's edge, sight unimpeded by any mist rising from the surface of the pond, gazing upon a reflection of the moon that is not hazed in by clouds. After him, listening to other recordings is like peering at the same lunar image from the bottom of the pond. Save me Gieseking, I'm drowning...

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Good memories

No, I haven't heard this exact album but I have enjoyed portions of it on the original mono which was the first album we purchased as newlyweds. The album remained our favorite but eventually it disappeared from our shelves; many times we have tried to replace it. Lo and behold, on a rainy Saturday in Pittsburgh, I discover that Amazon.com has a The Complete Works of Debussy by Walter Gieseking! Halleluh!
I have heard other pianists work through Debussy's music but none seem to have the crisp tartness, or the tender caressing that Gieseking intersperses throughout the recording. German rendition? How amazing that some of your other reviewers apparently can asertain nationalities through listening to their artistry. All I know is that I will thoroughly enjoy having this old friend return to my home. ...

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Pittsburgh, again

Now that I've received the album I can provide a first-hand review. I'm so glad I purchased this reissue. Thank you for having it available.

Gieseking?s Klaus Debussy

I must confess Walter Gieseking's much acclaimed recordings of these masterpieces of French piano literature did not appeal to me as much as they did to other reviewers. He admittedly draws wonderful colors and shadings from the piano, yet this does not change the fact that he plays Debussy in a German translation, if I may be forgiven the metaphor. The power of his playing, those strong accents, those sharp attacks and contrasts create in most places corners, edges, protruding cliffs and deep valleys that belong more to Beethoven than Debussy and render to the music a solidity which mars the impressionist poetry of fluid lines, reduced dynamics and cloud-like harmonies. This is more discomforting in the works of his impressionist period, like Images, Estampes and Preludes (esp. volume 1) and less important in the Etudes. The former, played by Arrau or Moravec, takes you to another world, a dream world; when listening to Gieseking, nothing of the sort happens: it is as if you are listening to abstract music, admittedly with wonderful playing - which fits the etudes, but gives to the other works a more abstract quality than Debussy might have liked. Take the "Canope" prelude from the second book, for example. It is about an ancient Egyptian urn two of which Debussy owned. At the start a nostalgic theme is heard, as if we are contemplating the urn; it is repeated, but one begins to feel something ominous hangs in the air; like in a bad dream. Hardly having felt, the thing happens; something very ancient comes to life! Only to disappear again and leave the listener astonished and unsure. All is the same again - the theme is reheard, and the piece "ends" without an end. When one has listened to this prelude from Arrau he feels having lived through something truly disturbing as well as wonderful. By comparison, there is no tale, no suspense, no peak in Gieseking; there are just "colors"! A theme, a meaningless arpeggio, the theme again. End. One final remark: On the cover page of his last works, Debussy proclaimed himself a "Musicien Francais", indeed, when you miss that indispensable peculiar French quality that stamps his music, the result is little more than a meal without salt, however well it might be played. It is claimed in the notes of the set that the French reluctance to acclaim Gieseking's Debussy stems from envy alone. I guess there is more to it than that. The music in these recordings is great music, and very well played - alas, it is not exactly from the voice of Claude Debussy.

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Nice recording if it wasn't in mono !

I was very excited to get Walter Gieseking's performance of Debussy's complete piano works, and I was as much disappointed when I listened to it the day I received it.

I actually wanted to enjoy my favorates in Debussy's piano works, which are: "Jardins sous la pluie", "Arabesque no.1", and "Claire de Lune", but I was dissapointed by the fact that they were in mono, and that some pieces like "Jardins sous la pluie" were played too fast that some consecutive notes sounded sort of overlapped.

Overall, Gieseking's performance wasn't bad, but it didn't sound as good as I desired. Maybe, it's just a matter of taste, but I wanted to give you my opinion so that some of you avoid regretting the purchase of this collection.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4

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