Five essential works by Debussy

We choose the best pieces by the father of musical impressionism, Claude Debussy

Try out a subscription to BBC Music Magazine and pay just £9.99 for 6 issues today!

Published: March 3, 2019 at 10:00 am

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

This seductive and sultry orchestral masterpiece quietly wrought a revolution more profound than Wagner’s Tristan.

Recommended recording: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink Philips 438 7422 (2 discs)

Nocturnes

Three contrasting orchestral tone poems – by turns languid, lively and seductive – which impressed not only Ravel but also composers outside France.

Recommended recording: LSO/André Previn EMI 391 9672

La mer

A vivid portrait of the sea in all its moods, La mer is the nearest that Debussy came to writing a symphony, with a lively scherzo (‘Play of the waves’) and a rousing finale.

Recommended recording: Singapore SO/Lan Shui BIS-SACD 1447

Preludes Books 1 & 2

On one level a series of miniature tableaux – ranging from landscapes and atmospheres to thumbnail sketches of literary characters – these piano piece also provide a superb overview of Debussy’s range as a composer.

Recommended recording: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Decca 452 0222 (2 discs)

Pelléas et Mélisande

Debussy’s understated, almost dream-like opera about young lovers caught up in an extra-marital affair exerts an extraordinary and unforgettable spell on its listeners.

Recommended recording: Vienna State Opera/Claudio Abbado DG 435 3442 (2 discs)

This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024