Recommended
Recordings |
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"Piano Works vol. 3 :
Suite Bergamasque / Images Oubliées, lent : vif / Rêverie
/ Deux Arabesques / Danse / Pour le Piano / Ballade / Nocturne / Danse
Bohémienne / Valse Romantique" (IMP: MCD 24)
Martino Tirimo (piano)
Comparing with the fame of François, a Greek pianist Martino Tirimo
is still significantly underrated. The virtues of him can be summerized
his modest, sinsere, and honest interpretation and performance. Even though
the characteristics may be thought not to fit the atmosphere of Debussy's
works, this volume three of his Debussy recordings is a real masterpiece.
His Arabesque typically proves his advantage because of his delicate and
roundish piano tone with sincere attitude to the original script. Although
his interpretation of the second one sounds a bit too stiffen (without
atmosphere of freedom in rhythmic content because he played too faithful
to the original score), the recording has the largest merit. This "Première
Arabesque" should be absolutely the best performance ever recorded
in the world. Every tone sounds clear and transparent with rich of intellectual
figure and perfect tempo selection. |
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"Oeuvres
pour Piano II :
Images, 1'ère série / Images, 2'ème série /
Rêverie / Deux Arabesques / La plus que Lente / 5 Études /
Masques / L' îsle Joyeuse" (EMI: TOCE-3022)
Samson François
(piano)
Hence the arabesques were entitled 'deux', they are tend to be seemed as
a pair. In fact, many scholars or critics have insisted that these are
a pair and should be performed as a diptyque. However, for the listners,
such autographical or musicological concern mean nothing just for enjoying
the music itself. Since these two pieces sound totally different such as
the former one sounds like Massenet's sweet romantisism whereas the latter
one follows the compositional idiom of baroque era, we can not find any
adequate reason to listen them with one pianist. If you would like to listen
the best performance of the second arabesque, I strongly recommend this
recording. His largest merits such as vital, temperamental and sensible
interpretation and performance cannot be found in any of other recordings.
If you wish to grasp the virtue more evidently, all you have to do is just
prepare one more recordings performed by others. Just listen carefully.
Any pianists, from all over the world from then and now, tend to get into
the second arabesque from the score (not from the flow of sound itself),
so they can not avoid lining up the base rhythm (stem from their left hands)
just regularly with their right hands and with every 1 and 4 beat. They
hear what the score says, but do not listen what the music implies, so
that their music tends to be too stiffen especially in rhythmic content.
On the contrary, the rhythmic implication and posibilities created by the
left hand of François are totally different. Please listen carefully
to the keen 'time-rag' combination between right - left hand. Can you catch
his left hand tones are slightly shuffled from the regular time and the
effect creates the rhythmic content softer, more loosely and more lively?
This is the essence of François magic. Even you know any other pianist
who can read the score perfectly and can play technically better, they
can not describe the muse who do not exist in paper scores. |
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"Deux Arabesques / La Plus que Lente / Le Petit Nègre / L'isle
Joyeuse / Douze Études" (Calliope : CAL 9834)
Théodore Paraskivesco (piano)
Fortunately, Paraskivesco's Debussy recordings became available once again
in late 2002 as a box set. Previously, his Debussy was published just one
time in 1987 and became out of print soon, it is hard to be purchased.
The situation was really regretable since the avarage of the performances
can be considered as one of the highest one in Debussy piano works. His
Debussy has the similarity with Martino Tirimo ones in the principle of
style such as modest reading with abolishment of dogmatic interpretation
and roundish piano tones. Because he employed Bösendolfer piano, his
performance includes not only an delicate and sensitive but bold tone.
In other words, his sound is well-ballanced. You can easily capture such
his merit by giving your ears to his arabesques. For the former one, his
Tirimo-like delicate and roundish tones give fruitful effects. Moreover,
he adds François-like plump content and implication. Also for the
latter one, his careful choice of rubatos and hammer-action running-time
for every tone give François-like soft taste even though he can
not control the combination freely as François did. For both of
them, we know the better performance. However, once we want to pick up
the best performance in total, we immediately come to find the fact that
this recording seems to be the best. This 'Arabesque' is the kind of performance. |
(The 5-star rating for each recording is just for the performance of 'Arabesques') |