Debussy: 24 Préludes (Remastered) Friedrich Gulda

• Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes, Book 1, L. 117:
• 1 I. Danseuses de Delphes 03:07
• 2 II. Voiles 03:26
• 3 III. Le Vent dans la plaine 02:01
• 4 IV. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir 03:24
• 5 V. Les collines d'Anacapri 02:49
• 6 Vi. Des pas sur la neige 03:27
• 7 VII. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'Quest 03:22
• 8 VIII. La fille aux cheveux de lin 02:09
• 9 IX. La sérénade interrompue 02:25
• 10 X. La Cathédrale engloutie 06:05
• 11 XI. La danse de Puck 02:39
• 12 XII. Minstrels 01:55
• Préludes, Book 2, L. 123:
• 13 I. Brouillards 02:54
• 14 II. Feuilles mortes 03:22
• 15 III. La Puerta del Vino 03:06
• 16 IV. Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses 02:29
• 17 V. Bruyères 02:31
• 18 VI. Général Lavine - Eccentric 02:21
• 19 VII. La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune 04:16
• 20 VIII. Ondine 02:54
• 21 IX. Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.p.m.p.c. 02:07
• 22 X. Canope 02:53
• 23 XI. Les tierces alternées 02:28
• 24 XII. Feux d'artifice 04:12
• Total Runtime 01:12:22

Info for Debussy: 24 Préludes (Remastered)

The 24 Préludes represent what must be the best known cycle of pieces by the Impressionist composer Claude Debussy. The compositions are alive with magic, poetry and depiction in sound. No pianist can approach the demands of their composer more closely than Friedrich Gulda; Debussy's instruction "to breathe with the pedal" is something that Gulda, alone among pianists, has mastered to perfection. The pianist's instinctive sense of touch draws from the works of Debussy just what the composer wished: loud sections are thundered forth, while pianissimo passages sound so intimate and close at hand that one's own heartbeat sounds like the summons of an imperious drum. To do justice to this perfection, the recording is also released in full-spectrum sound quality on audiophile vinyl.

Gulda, rebel among pianists, was a great admirer of Debussy's music. As early as the 1940s, he proved with his recordings of "L'isle joyeuse" and "Reflets dans l'eau" his infallible sense of the composer’s music. The pianist immersed himself in the depths of Debussy's harmonies, taking his extended harmonic structure (chords to the 9th, 11th and 13th) as the basis of improvisation in jazz. And there is an audible affinity in the harmonies of Gulda’s own composition "The Air from other Planets". This intensive engagement with jazz on the one hand and with the works of Claude Debussy on the other fertilized Gulda's creative powers to an equal extent, enriching his interpretation of the Préludes with regard to rhythm in particular and giving benchmark status to this recording.

The preferred microphone placement close to the strings at the MPS studio in Villingen in 1969 only goes to reinforce Debussy's message. Under the guiding hands of Willi Fruth and Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer the sought-for intimacy is amplified; ideally, some of these pieces should only be played for a tête-à-tête. These intimate recordings have now been restored in pure analogue mode and carefully enhanced by Mastering Engineer Christoph Stickel, specialist in audiophile editing and restoration, so as to retain the unique sound of the recording in its close relationship with

Gulda's interpretation. The recording was complete remastered from the original analog master tapes. An absolute work of reference!

Friedrich Gulda, piano

Digitally remastered

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