Claude Debussy: Le martyre de Saint-Sébastien/Ibéria

On this CD:

1. Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, incidental music for solo voices, chorus, & orchestra, L. 124 No. 1, The Court Of Lilies
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra / New England Conservatory Chorus with Catherine Akos, Phyllis Curtin, Florence Kopleff, Charles Munch
Conducted by Charles Munch

2. Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, incidental music for solo voices, chorus, & orchestra, L. 124 No. 2, The Magic Chamber
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra / New England Conservatory Chorus with Catherine Akos, Phyllis Curtin, Florence Kopleff, Charles Munch
Conducted by Charles Munch

3. Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, incidental music for solo voices, chorus, & orchestra, L. 124 No. 3, The Council Of The Fal
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra / New England Conservatory Chorus with Catherine Akos, Phyllis Curtin, Florence Kopleff, Charles Munch
Conducted by Charles Munch

4. Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, incidental music for solo voices, chorus, & orchestra, L. 124 No. 4, The Broken Laurel
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra / New England Conservatory Chorus with Catherine Akos, Phyllis Curtin, Florence Kopleff, Charles Munch
Conducted by Charles Munch

5. Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, incidental music for solo voices, chorus, & orchestra, L. 124 No. 5, Paradise
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra / New England Conservatory Chorus with Catherine Akos, Phyllis Curtin, Florence Kopleff, Charles Munch
Conducted by Charles Munch

6. Images (3), for orchestra, L. 122 No 2, Iberia
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

Tracks:

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Preludes, Book One: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair
Two Nocturnes: Fetes
Preludes, Book One: The Sunken Cathedral
Suite Bergamasque: Claire de lune
Children's Corner Suite: Golliwogg's Cake-Walk
Reverie
Iberia: Le Matin D'un Jour De Fete
Deux Arabesques: Arabesque No. 1: Andante Con Motto
Martyrdom Of Saint Sebastian: Prelude To The Council Of The False gods
String Quartet In G Minor, Op. 10: Scherzo. Assex Vif Et Bien Rythme
La Mer: I. De L'aube A Midi Sur La Mer
La Mer: II. Jeux De Vagues
La Mer: III. Dialogue Du Vent Et De La Mer

Customer Reviews:

Probably the best compilation of a single composer's works. Ever!.......2007-05-06

Claude Debussy is perhaps the most understated composer in the history of man. His ability to compose both on the piano and for orchestra is unmatched, in my humble opinion. The fact that Debussy was able to also arrange many contemporary and previous composers' works just adds to his resume. He had a gift, pure and simple.

Although this album doesn't (well, honestly it couldn't) contain all of Debussy's catalog, it does certainly contain some of his best work. There is actually only one track on this CD that I don't care for; that would be Golligwogg's Cake-Walk; it is just a bit annoying to me.

Beyond my dislike for that one track, the entire CD is a beautifully aranged, beautifully played, well recorded compilation with good sound mixing and it is a respectful tribute to a truly great composer.

"Claire de Lune" (Moonlighting) is perhaps one of the most gorgeous pieces of music ever composed; this is the orchestrated version, which I prefer, but the piano version is nice. "Arabesque No. 1" is superb. "Fetes" is both haunting and airy. "Reverie" is the best piano piece I have ever heard. "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is also a wonderful piano piece. "The Sunken Cathedral" is dark and mysterious, a true wonder.

The rest of the album is fantastic. Listed above are just my personal favorites from the disc. I listen to this CD at least once a week, but often more. It is perfect for relaxation, for listening while reading, or for my personal favorite use, to block out noise while I am writing.

I would recommend this to any classical lover.

If you have not heard Debussy's music, you must get this CD; it will have you ordering more of his compositions almost immediately.

The man was a genius.

This is a brilliant assembly of Debussy. .......2006-07-08

After listening to his "Greatest Hits," I know why he is considered one of the best.

THIS IS THE STUFF RIGHT HERE!.......2005-09-12

I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE I WAS TRYING EXPAND MY HORIZONS, YOU KNOW? CULTURALLY AND MENTALLY, YOU KNOW? SERIOUSLY THOUGH I WAS IN THE SHOP AND I WAS HAVING A GAZE AROUND THE PLACE AND THEN THIS PICTURE JUST JUMPS OUT AT ME, AND I PICKED IT UP AND IT WAS THIS DEBUSSY CHAP AND ID HEARD ABOUT HIM ON THE BBC LEARNING ZONE SO I THOUGHT ;why not?; SERIOUSLY THOUGH I DRAGGED IT HOME AND I POPPED IT IN THE OLD CD PLAYER AND IT FLOORED ME.......I MEAN SERIOUSLY THIS THING...AMAAZING STUFF..I MEAN TODAYS MUSIC HAS NOTHING, NOTHING NOTHING ON THIS STUFF RIGHT HERE.

SOME GOOD TRACKS ARE:
TRACK 1 IS THE BEST. THE OPENING FLUTE ON THE TRACK IS TOTALLY CHILLED AND COOL, REMINDS ME A BIT OF TRACK 13 ON ILL COMMUNICATION BY THE BEASTIE BOYS...A COINCIDENCE???

THE ONLY WEAK TRACK ON THE ALBUM IS TRACK 6, THE UNFORTUNATELY TITLED "CHILDRENS CORNER SUITE: GOLLIWOGGS CAKE WALK" THE MUSIC IS JUST DATED MAN, JUST AS DATED AS THE TITLE.

OVERALL THOUGH THIS IS A QUALITY ALBUM, WITH CHILLS, SPILLS AND THRILLS. SERIOUSLY THOUGH A FINE EFFORT.

Debussy is the best. Ever........2004-07-23

I love Debussy and all of his brilliant work. I barely listen to any other classical music, so I am not an authority, just an honest lover of music. I play piano and love piano music, so I was not disappointed at a piano Flaxen-Haired Girl. I've never heard an orchestrated version and don't need to. This is a good introductory CD to Debussy's work, I love it! The only thing I don't care for is the Arabesque #1 (Track 9). The horn is kind of grating and clunky to hear in such an otherwise beautiful piece. Still, its interesting and different. Everything Debussy made is purest gold.

i am dumb.......2004-07-01

And I'm a doomass because I didn't proof-read my other review and I wrote that Clair de Lune was performed by piano on this disc, which it isn't. Anyway, the piano version is better.

Average customer rating:

A Feast of Historic Debussy Recordings

Debussy: Orchestral Music

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Orchestral Music
Wilhelm Furtwängler: Live Recordings 1944-1953
Mozart: "Le Nozze di Figaro" / 1937 Salzburg Festival / Pinza, Rhéthy, Stabile, Novotná, Vienna Phil., Walter
Arturo Toscanini: The Complete Philadelphia Orchestra Recordings 1941-42
Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964

ASIN: B0007MR0XQ
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Customer Reviews:

A Feast of Historic Debussy Recordings.......2005-04-11

The Andante label has had a hit-or-miss record with its boxed reissues of historic recordings. Some have been fabulous (e.g., the two 'Fidelio' performances, boxed together, by Böhm and Furtwängler) and some not so good (e.g., the two 'Falstaffs' by Toscanini and Karajan--each far outclassed by commercially available alternative performances by these conductors). Each of these Andante sets appears to contain four CDs, a long and informative essay, plus bios of the important participants taken from the New Grove (in English, French and German) and all in a hard-bound book that is in a slipcase. A classy presentation.

This issue is one of the best I've run across. First, let me comment about the sound. Some of these recordings go back to the 1920s ('Rhapsodie' for saxophone and orchestra, with saxophonist Jules Viard, recorded 1929), most are from the 1930s, a few from no later than 1951. And every single one of them is in probably the best possible sound and in most instances it is astoundingly good. I swear that transfer and restoration engineers (and their software) are getting better and better and I, for one, am thrilled about that. (Unfortunately, these marvelous ladies and gentlemen are not mentioned by name, at least that I can find, in the otherwise extensive information provided about the recordings. Andante really owes it to them to name them.)

Let me simply list the contents (as of this date Amazon has not done so):

CD1: Prélude l'aprs-midi d'une faune, Walther Straram, cond. (featuring the meltingly glorious flute-playing of the legendary Marcel Moyse); Nocturnes, D.-É. Ingelbrecht; Nocturnes, Piero Coppola; La Damoiselle Élue, Coppola

CD2: La Mer, Coppola (1932); La Mer, Toscanini, NBCSO, (1950); La Mer, Désormière, Czech Phil. (1950)

CD3: Danses sacres et profanes, Marcel Grandjany (harp), S. Levin, cond.; Petite Suite (orch. Büsser), Coppola; Petite Suite (orch. Büsser), Henri Bsser, cond; Marche Écossaise, Toscanini, NBCSO, 1940; Le Martyre de St. Sébastien (suite), Coppola; Première Rhapsodie, Hamelin, clar., Coppola; Première Rhapsodie, Benny Goodman, clar., Barbirolli, NYPO

CD4: Rhapsodie, Viard, sax., Coppola; Ibéria, Coppola; Ibéria, Reiner, Pittsburgh SO; Rondes de Printemps and Gigues (both from 'Images'), Reiner, San Francisco SO; Printemps, Coppola

As you can see, Piero Coppola conducts many of the selections here. I had known his name and had heard a few of his recordings back in the 78rpm days, but didn't really remember much about him. Well, let me tell you, this Milan-born composer/conductor who spent most of his professional life in Belgium and France and who here primarily conducts the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, is magnificent. His 'La Mer' from 1932, for instance, ranks as one of the subtlest and yet most naturally unfolding of any I've ever heard and is certainly the equal of the other two 'La Mer' performances here (Toscanini and Désormière, each wonderful in his own right ).

Other highlights (actually there are almost too many to single out) include Goodman's 'Clarinet Rhapsodie,' Grandjany's 'Sacred and Profane Dances' (was there ever a harpist with a lovelier sound?), Moyse's 'Afternoon of a Faun,' both performances of the 'Nocturnes,' Büsser's 'Petite Suite,' Reiner's 'Ibéria' (whew! - what excitement in Mmt. III!), the two movements from 'Images' by Monteux.

Obviously, this is not an issue for anyone but a die-hard lover of both Debussy and historical performances. There are modern recordings of all of these works, in modern sound, and let's face it, the cost of this box set is pretty steep. But, if like me, you are committed to learning about the history of recorded music you will wind up treasuring many of those performances and this one is definitely one for your purchase list. I think it's worth every penny you'd spend because it will bring literally tens of hours of enjoyment.

Strongly recommended for the right audience.

TT=ca. 5 hrs

Scott Morrison