Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Every recording of Debussy's mysterious, fascinating Pelleas has something new and interesting to offer. This set, recorded live in Paris, gives us Bernard Haitink's leisurely, suggestive conducting and the chorus and orchestra of Radio France delivering the music beautifully. Anne Sofie von Otter is a Melisande to wonder about. She covers all the role's puzzles: How much is she in charge? Whom does she love? What does she want? And all along, von Otter sings meltingly. She's matched by the ardent Pelleas of Wolfgang Holzmair, who is so passionately smitten by her that he's near bursting by Act IV. Laurent Naouri, in the all-important role of Golaud, starts off trustingly and kindly. When his suspicions about Pelleas and Melisande begin to consume him, his anger is terrifying. The others in the cast are equally good. This isn't as openly dramatic as Abbado's reading on DG or as sharply etched as Boulez's interpretation, but it spins its magic very effectively. --Robert Levine

Tracks:

Adagio In G Minor - Dominic Miller
The Deer Hunter - Goran Sollscher
Largo - Eduardo Fernandez
Prelude - John Williams
Apres Un Reve - Steve Erquiaga
Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte - Steve Erquiaga
Courante - Pepe Romero
Torija (Elegia) - Segovia
Andantino - Piu Mosso - Primo Tempo - Julian Bream
Andaluza - Pepe Romero
Granada (Serenata) - Pepe Romero
Bachians Brasileiras No.1 - Alexandre Lagoya
Andante Cantabile - Segovia
Cancion De Cuna - Eduardo Fernandez
Arioso - Steve Erquiaga
Romance D'Amour - Goran Sollscher
Adagio - Christine Pendrill
Qui Tollis - Dominic Miller

Tracks:

Air On A G String - Dominic Miller
Largo - Alexandre Lagoya
Andante Sostenuto - Alexandre Lagoya
La Maja De Goya - Pepe Romero
Romance De Los Pinos - Pepe Romero
Sarabande - John Williams
Sonata, Op.16 - Pepe Romero
Recuerdos De La Alhambra - Eduardo Fernandez
Barcarolle - John Williams
Bourees I & II - John Williams
Sarabande - John Williams
Andante - Alexandre Lagoya
Oriental - Alexandre Lagoya
Cantabile - Alexandre Lagoya
Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Alexandre Lagoya
Andante - Alexandre Lagoya
Canzone In E Minor - Alexandre Lagoya
Sicilienne - Steve Erquiaga
Clair De Lune - Alexandre Lagoya

Customer Reviews:

relation through beautiful music.......2005-10-02

This is arguably the most relaxing music anywhere. It is lovely to take a nap to, fall asleep to..... use your imagination to......

A Great Find!.......2004-08-02

These are wonderful cds. They include Andres Segovia,Julian Bream, John Williams, Presti/Lagoya and Pepe Romero among other guitarist's. This two cd set has a rare performance of Segovia with the "Symphony Of The Air"performing Boccherini's "Cello Concerto in D". John Williams performing Bach's "Cello Suite In D" at seventeen years old. Also Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya performing Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and Granado's "Spanish Dance No.2 The Oriental". Presti/Lagoya's music has long been out of print and to the best of my knowledge this is the first time their music has been available on cd.These cd's have over 2 and a half hours of music and are well worth the money.

Average customer rating:

CD- "Dinner Classics: THe French Album"
PAR EXCELLANCE!
It will grow on you
French Essentials
CBS Masterworks French Album

Dinner Classics: The French Album

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000026XN
Release Date: 1990-05-17

Tracks:

Arabesque No. 1
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
Le tombeau de Couperin: V - Menuet
Pelleas et Melisande: II - Fileuse
Pavane pour une infante defunte
The Birds: La Colomba
Sylvia Suite: II - Intermezzo: Valse lente
Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarolle
Faust Ballet Music: V - Moderato con moto
Damnation Of Faust: Ballet Of The Sylphs
Pelleas et Melisande: III - Sicilienne
Petite Suite: En Bateau
Suite Bergamasque: Clair de Lune
Pavane, Op. 50
Gymnopedie No. 1
Gymnopedie No. 3
Reverie

Customer Reviews:

CD- "Dinner Classics: THe French Album".......2006-07-03

I have bought 3 of these items, the first was an audio tape from Avon. The 2 CDs I bought from Amazon were bought because I knew how beautiful the music was. One was a gift and the other is for my classroom. They were in perfect condition,the music is incredibly beautiful and I highly recommend it to everyone!

PAR EXCELLANCE!.......2006-03-14

This is one of the best classical cd's for dinner music, relaxing,reading or even just putzing around the house. Elegant, pure classical and beautiful. Fills your home with a higher ambience if you are so mentally inclined. Everyone who hears it wants a copy. This the third one I have owned as I have worn out and given away one. I first purchased this in the early nineties and it still is timeless in it's symphonic artistry.

It will grow on you.......2005-12-11

I didn't know what I was getting when I first purchased this work. Now, I can't imagine being without it. Debussey's Claire De Lune is the best I've heard. This is the same piece that was used on the movie "The Right Stuff". I believe you will enjoy this compilation.

French Essentials.......2001-12-07

Maybe the best compositions of the impressionist epoca.
It includes the best performances of Debussy pieces I've ever listened.

CBS Masterworks French Album.......2001-12-07

This is a great starter CD to buy if you're just beginning to build your classical music collection. It only covers French composers, and the melodies are superb. When I bought this CD I was looking for the Debussy Arabesques, but arranged for an orchestra instead of just for piano. It turnes out THIS was the CD I was searching for without even knowing the title to it! Reason being, a few tracks from this CD is used as background music for a 15 minute presentation of the daily Holy Rosary on EWTN, the Catholic channel. It's the Rosary prayed by what seems to be a 12 year old girl in the middle of a big grass field who starts out praying alone then is joined by several people. The rich melodies complement this presentation very well. No one else has mentioned the fact that in the liner booklet there are several French recipes presented by Martha Stewart! I haven't tried any yet, but they seem easy enough to attempt and enjoy while playing this marvelous CD. I highly suggest purchasing it as a sample of some of the finest French classical pieces ever composed.

Average customer rating:

Exceptional Collection

Bedroom Adagios

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000BWVBV
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

Concerto For Harpischord, Strings, And Continuo No. 5 In F Minor, BWV 1056 - Raymond Leppard
Concerto Grosso In B Minor, Op. 6, No. 12 - The Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Pavane For A Dead Princess - Steve Erquiaga
Romance For String Orchestra - The Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Carnival Of The Animals - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 - Alexandre Lagoya
En Bateau - l'ochestre de la suisse romande
Humming Chorus - BBC Concert Orchestra
Sicilienne - Steve Erquaiaga
Italiana - The Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Una Furtiva Lagrima - BBC Concert Orchestra
Chanson De Matin, Op. 15, No. 2 - BBC Concert Orchestra
Suite In E Major For Lute, BWV 1006A/1000 - Eduardo Fernandez
Touch Her Soft Lips, And Part - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Suite for Cello Solo No. 3 In C Major, BWV 1009 - Pepe Romero
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Julian Lloyd Webber
Pavane - Nicholas Kraemer
Serenade For Strings In E Major, Op. 22 - The Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields

Tracks:

O Mio Babbino Caro - BBC Concert Orchestra
Cavatina - Goran Sollscher
La Fileuse - L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
Flower Duet (Sous Le Dome Epais) - BBC Concert Orchestra
Pied-En-L'Air - Nicholas Kraemer
Arioso - Steve Erquiaga
Two Aquarelles - English Chamber Orchestra
In Paradisum - Stephen Cleobury
After A Dream - Steve Erquiaga
Suite For Cello Solo No. 1 In G Major, BWV 1007 - Mischa Maisky
My Bonny Boy - The Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Concerto For Guitar In D Major, RV 93 - Eduardo Fernandez
Un Bel Di - BBC Concert Orchestra
Holbert Suite, Op. 40 - Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Concerto For Oboe In D Minor, BWV 1059 - Heinz Holliger
Vissi D'Arte - BBC Concert Orchestra
Sheep May Safely Graze - William Bennett
Fantasia On Greensleeves - William Bennett

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional Collection.......2003-12-31

I have heard many, many classical "mood" collections, and this is one of the best, with many surprise selections.
It is consistently restful and calming.
I recommend it highly.

Average customer rating:

I recommend it highly
Pour yourself some tea, get the paper and put on this CD

For A Sunday Morning
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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For a Lazy Afternoon (Dig)
Dinner for Two
For a Summer Evening (Dig)
For Your Dreams (Dig)
For a Quiet Evening

ASIN: B00005UWL1
Release Date: 2002-01-15

Tracks:

Grieg: Morning Mood
Dvorak: Waltz From Serenade For Strings
Faure: Pavane, Op. 50
Bach: Air
Holst: Finale (The Dargason) from St. Paul's Suite
Debussy: Prelude To "The Afternoon Of A Faun"
Faure: Sicilienne from Pelleas et Melisande
Bach: Sleepers, Awake
Debussy: En Bateau
Grieg: Anitra's Dance
Britten: Sunday Morning By The Beach
Williams: Seventeen Come Sunday From English Folk Song Suite
Strauss: Morning Newspapers

Customer Reviews:

I recommend it highly.......2005-10-05

I have yet to grow tired of this CD. I listen to it at work several times per week.

Pour yourself some tea, get the paper and put on this CD.......2002-02-14

This truly is a great album for a Sunday morning. I bought it after a recent morning I spent with my boyfriend; we made tea, ate breakfast, cuddled and napped, but I wanted some relaxing classical tunes to put on. I stumbled across this, and it certainly fits the bill.

I also liked that it had a good mix of familiar songs and ones I hadn't heard before. Selections include "Morning" and "Anitra's Dance" by Grieg, "Serenade for Strings in E Major" by Dvorak, "Sunday Morning" by Britten, "Pavane" by Faure, "Seventeen Come Sunday" by Vaughan Williams, "Air on a G String" by Bach, "Morgenblatter" by Strauss, "The Dargason" by Holst, "Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'un Faune" by Debussy, and "En Bateau" and "Sicilienne" by Faure.

Don't expect any big fireworks -- there's certainly nothing rousing like "Ride of the Valkyries" or "1812 Overture" here. Pop this in for a lazy day.

Pelléas et Mélisande / von Stade, Stilwell, van Dam, Raimondi, Karajan
Average customer rating:

Sound not worthy of EMI Great Recording Series

Still for me the definitive overall view of Pelléas!!!

One of Karajan's undisputed triumphs

Karajan Attempts Debussy

debussy isn't wagner

Pelléas et Mélisande / von Stade, Stilwell, van Dam, Raimondi, Karajan
Claude Debussy , Berliner Philharmoniker , Herbert von Karajan , Frederica von Stade , Richard Stilwell , José van Dam , Ruggero Raimondi , Nadine Denize , and Christine Barbaux
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wagner: Lohengrin

Great Recordings Of The Century - Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte / Karajan, Schwarzkopf, Merriman, Otto, Simoneau, et al

Madama Butterfly

Verdi - Simon Boccanegra / Freni, Cappuccilli, Carreras, Ghiaurov, van Dam, Foiani, Teatro alla Scala, Abbado

ASIN: B00000K4FN
Release Date: 1999-09-21

Tracks:

Prelude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Je Ne Pourrai Plus Sortir De Cette Foret - Jose Van Dam
Qu'est-ce Qui Brille Ainsi, Au Fond De L'eau? - Jose Van Dam
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Voici Ce Qu'il Ecrit A Son Frere Pelleas: 'Un Soir, Je L'ai Trouvee' - Nadine Denize
Je N'en Dis Rien - Ruggero Raimondi
Grand-pere, J'ai Recu En Meme Temps Que La Lettre De Mon Frere - Ruggero Raimondi
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Il Fait Sombre Dans Les Jardins - Frederica Von Stade
Hoe! Hisse Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! - Chor Der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Vous Ne Savez Pas Ou Je Vous Ai Menee - Frederica Von Stade
C'est Au Bord D'une Fontaine Aussi Qu'il Vous A Trouvee? - Frederica Von Stade
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Ah! Ah! Tout Va Bien, Cela Ne Sera Rien - Jose Van Dam
Je Suis . . . Je Suis Malade Ici - Jose Van Dam
Il Est Vrai Que Ce Chateau Est Tres Vieux Et Tres Sombre - Jose Van Dam
Tiens, Ou Est L'anneau Que Je T'avis Donne? - Jose Van Dam
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Oui, C'est Ici, Nous Y Sommes - Frederica Von Stade

Tracks:

Mes Longs Cheveux Descendent - Frederica Von Stade
Oh! Oh! Mes Cheveux Descendent De La Tour! - Frederica Von Stade
Je Les Noure, Je Les Noue Aux Branches Du Saule - Jose Van Dam
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Prenez Garde; Par Ici, Par Ici - Jose Van Dam
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Ah! Je Respire Enfin! - Jose Van Dam
A Propos De Melisande - Jose Van Dam
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Viens, Nous Allons Nous Asseoir Ici, Yniold - Jose Van Dam
Ah! Ah! Petite Mere A Allume Sa Lampe - Jose Van Dam

Tracks:

Ou Vas-tu? Il Faut Que Je Te Parle Ce Soir - Frederica Von Stade
Maintenant Que Le Pere De Pelleas Est Sauve - Ruggero Raimondi
Pelleas Part Ce Soir - Ruggero Raimondi
Une Grande Innocence - Ruggero Raimondi
Interlude - Berliner Philharmoniker
Oh! Cette Pierre Est Lourde - Christine Barbaux
C'est Le Dernier Soir - Frederica Von Stade
On Dirait Que Ta Voix A Passe Sur La Mer Au Printemps! - Frederica Von Stade
Quel Est Ce Bruit? On Ferme Les Portes - Frederica Von Stade
Ce N'est Pas De Cette Petite Blessure Qu'elle Peut Mourir - Ruggero Raimondi
Attention; Je Crois Qu'ell S'eveille - Ruggero Raimondi
Etes-vous Seul Dans La Chambre, Grand-pere? - Ruggero Raimondi
Melisande, As-tu Pitie De Moi Comme J'ai Pitie De Toi? - Jose Van Dam
As-tu Aime Pelleas? - Jose Van Dam
Qu'avez-vous fait? Vous Allez La Tuer - Ruggero Raimondi
Qu'y-a-t-il? Qu'est-ce Que Toutes Ces Femmes Viennent Faire Ici? - Ruggero Raimondi
Attention . . . Attention - Ruggero Raimondi

Amazon.com essential recording

The payoff to Herbert von Karajan's relentless pursuit of ensemble perfection and beauty of sound can be heard in the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic on this recording: by 1978, when it was made, they were indisputably the most polished and flexible orchestra in Europe, and one of the few orchestras anywhere (including France) that was capable of playing French music with real authority. Fittingly, the orchestra is very much at the center of this account of Claude Debussy's uniquely beautiful opera, magnificently projecting the mysterious, darkly translucent world of its fatally entangled characters. The cast, which is led by two Americans--Richard Stilwell as Pelléas and the incomparable Frederica von Stade as Mélisande --and features a Belgian (José van Dam) as Golaud and an Italian (Ruggero Raimondi) as Arkel, is a superb one, not least because those principals who are not French are nonetheless Francophones, and sing with excellent diction and an authentic delivery. Karajan's pacing of the drama, his skill at eliciting just the right intensity from the orchestra, his surpassing gentleness with the singers (balances are superb and every word comes through clearly), and the overall beauty of the orchestral playing make this not only the finest account of Pelléas et Mélisande yet recorded, but one of the most treasurable opera recordings ever, fully worthy of EMI's Great Recordings of the Century designation. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Sound not worthy of EMI Great Recording Series.......2007-01-05

Perhaps the Karajan Pelleas was remastered too early in the EMI Great Recordings series. Unlike most of the other releases in this series, the sound quality is not an improvement upon the earlier CD version. If you have the 1980's release of this opera, there is no need to buy this one. The ART remastering has cleaned up the sound a little, but it represents a step backwards in overall sound quality. The natural echo of music made in a real space is diminished and the recording sounds a few steps removed from real music making.

In the late 1990's EMI issued several ART remasterings with mixed results. Some recordings like the Callas Tosca were a complete disaster with almost all sense of the acoustic space removed (yes, even mono recordings do have a sense of natural echo and depth). However, when the Tosca -- and other recordings such as the Schwarzkopf Rosenkavalier -- were reissued as part of the Great Recordings series, the sound was transformed into a CD with both the voices and the acoustics sounding fuller and more natural.

While by no means a disaster, the sound quality of the Karajan Pelleas seems closer to the failed early ART efforts than to their more recent successes.

Still for me the definitive overall view of Pelléas!!!.......2006-08-07

[Having found that I've not reviewed as yet a truly great recording of one of my two favourite operas (Shostakóvich's "Lady Macbeth Mcjénskovo Ujézda" being the other) even though having commented upon it in my writing-up of the Ansermet Decca/London recording, I'd better make amends at once!!!]

A few other reviewers have said better than what I otherwise might regarding the voices' properties, so let me here be short. Although I find Frederica von Stade somewhat too coquettish for Mélisande (somehow, it seems as if an American girl's forthrightness and assertiveness intrudes here too much for this character's otherworldly, timid, frighened good!) and José van Dam - although excellent indeed - still just a shadow less menacing and authoritative than George London (for Ansermet), the overall performance of everybody gels to overall perfection. [With such a performance in fact, it's too easy then to end up a nit-picker - e.g., the tubist (tuba-player) has a few false entries near the beginning of Act II Scene 3.] I particularly here like the way the other people play Geneviève, Yniold, Pelléas (though still a real tenor would be best!) and especially Arkël (Ruggero Raimondi here is a true stand-out!!!).

The true star of this recording (barring a few nits like the one mentioned above) is the Berlin Philharmonic: both in its overall ensemble AND in terms of its individual sections and soloists (notably the woodwinds - I could wish for the brass to be somewhat still more assertive in a few places although overall the whole orchestra opens up more than some people might feel comfortable with!), one sees how truly without peer it happens to be - and in French music to boot!!!! [When can we hope to see a French ensemble prove itself worthy of comparison even on their home terrain (perhaps the Paris Bastille - the way they played Shostakóvich's "Lady Macbeth" gives one a glimmer thereof...)?]

As to those who feel that Debussy was out to be anti-Wagner (thus requiring a non-Wagnerian viewpoint), I'll simply say that it was a question of cattiness (Debussy was simply not the best of men by a longshot!) and jealousy. [French composers were so intimidated by Wagner and "Wagnerism" accusations that they were desperately out to assert themselves at any cost in any way possible - not realising that his harmonic language (among other points) was there to stay and be most influential (e.g., César Franck's music - particularly that for organ - is heavily influenced that way even if it otherwise remains sparser in sound than what the Teutons produced).] Karajan is entirely right to see "Pelléas" NOT as an antithesis or antidote to Wagner but as the (to-date) culmination of what Wagner was aiming for (subject of course to the ideal of a French instead of a German overall æsthetic - and nobody was more Gallic than Debussy; the combination of Musórgskian vocal-lines + Wagner's integrated-opera construction doesn't take away from the music's Gallic character one bit {it's every bit as quintessentially French as Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloé"}!).

[A case in point is the way Debussy's leitmotifs are much more dynamic in usage and flexibility (even at times to the point of unrecognizability!) compared to those of Wagner (or even Richard Strauss), which remain static in terms of instrumental colour, rhythm, and often key! It's in this way that Debussy goes beyond Wagner while yet bringing the German's overall aims to perfection!]

I don't hesitate in recommending this set most highly in all regards (superb sound in recording terms too!) - though I'll also recommend Ansermet's Decca/London stereo recording (one of the cheapest around but most worth it nonetheless!!!) to give an alternative viewpoint of the work. [Those who can tolerate mono sound may well wish to investigate Ingelbrecht, Fournet, etc....]

One of Karajan's undisputed triumphs.......2006-07-14

It's a pleasure to meet one of the true Great Recordings of the Century. It's also fortunate that the Amazon reviewer so carefuly describes the virtues of this exquisite, in some ways unsurpassed reading of Pelleas et Melisande. Karajan had already displayed his gifts as a Debussy conductor before 1978, but this opera is much harder to bring off than, say, the La Mer or Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Inspired by Wagner, Debussy created a unique Pelleas world that is as distinctive as the Tristan world, though perhaps its total opposite.

Karajan manages to draw us into this singular world with total involvement. The Berlin Phil. plays with more richness and sonority than any of the French orchestras to be heard in Pelleas--let's be frank, there was never a Parisian orchestra, then or now, that could hold a candle to the Berliners. The principal singers--Stilwell, von Stade, and Van Dam--have enough dramatic weight to stand up to Karajan's all-encompassing orchestral sound, which says a lot. One could argue that Van Dam and von Stade are the greatest modern exponents of Golaud and Melisande--the young von Stade's voice is blessedly free of the fast beat that came to mar it later on. This is not to take away from Stilwell's ardent Pelleas; I particularly like the fact that his baritone inclines toward the tenor range.

In sum, if you are a lover of this enigmatic and elusive opera, Karajan's EMI set, always a good-sounding recording but now even better in its latest remastering, is a must-listen.

Karajan Attempts Debussy.......2006-01-14

Read A Music Fan's review above.
I'm very syrprised EMI would even consider allowing Kraajan to record ANY Debussy, even more so the very difficult score of Pelleas.
Of course all the glowing reviewers have not heard Desormiere's 1942 nor Ingelbrecht's masterpiece recordings.
Of course not.
Yet they rate Karajan a hit.
One star for attempt.

debussy isn't wagner.......2004-07-20

in fact, debussy was trying to create an anti-wagner opera when he wrote pelleas, music and words that only suggest what is really happening, but never explicitly spells it out, as wagner does with his music, or other composers do with their words and sounds. karajan ignores this and tries to make pelleas et melisande into tristan und isolde. it doesn't work. try the recording with dutoit and the montreal orchestra (and an all-french cast) to see what this opera is supposed to sound like.

Average customer rating:

Revelatory.
A primary source for interpreting Debussy

Claude Debussy: The Composer as Pianist

Manufacturer: Pierian
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Maurice Ravel: The Composer as Pianist and Conductor
Bartók Plays Bartók
Alexander Scriabin: The Composer as Pianist
The Composer as Pianist
Prokofiev Plays Prokofiev

ASIN: B00005IC03
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Customer Reviews:

Revelatory........2004-01-27

Debussy lived into the age of recording, but the primary documents of his playing are his Welte-Mignon piano rolls. The Welte-Mignon contraption was a mechanical "player" which you set before a regular piano. It differed from the familiar player piano in that it could reproduce not only dynamics but touch and pedal technique. Mahler also recorded some of his pieces in this way. The problem with these things is their extreme fussiness. There's a problem with getting them to play at the intended speeds. You don't know, for example, how fast or slow Debussy intended, say, "La cathedrale engloutie" simply by looking at the roll. Also, apparently Welte-Mignon players were fitted to the individual piano. However, Pierian has used the talents of an engineer, Kenneth Caswell, who has devoted decades to the innards of the player, and the results have won the imprimatur of Harold Schoenberg himself, formerly a severe critic of modern Welte-Mignon reproduction. That's good enough for me.

All that said, I consider this one of the ten most important releases in the history of recording, even though I don't know what the other nine would be. Debussy is one of the master composers of keyboard music, along with Scarlatti, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Bartok, Ravel, and Prokofiev. So the recording is the equivalent of having Bach play the Goldbergs for you. Does Debussy differ from benchmark performances, like Gieseking? Not to take anything away from Gieseking, but, yes, he does. I can describe it as an extreme inwardness, as if the composer were communing with himself. The fingerwork isn't as sure as some, but the outstanding feature of the playing is its outstanding singing or, considering the composer's subtle temperament, humming. I can't imagine anybody interested in Debussy's piano music passing up this CD.

We also get Debussy's acoustic recordings as Mary Garden's accompanist in the Ariettes oubliees and in an extract from Pelleas. These to me have more problems than the rolls, mainly because the sound is so crude, but I make that judgment precisely because I have the rolls. Without Caswell's dedication, I'd have been extremely grateful for the acoustic recordings.

A primary source for interpreting Debussy.......2002-07-02

This is an album of Debussy's piano works played by Debussy himself. Most of the pieces are from rolls recorded by Debussy and played on Ken Caswell's beautifully and carefully restored Welte reproducing piano. There are also four acoustic recordings of Debussy vocal works, with Debussy playing piano.

The Welte reproducing piano records and plays back many aspects of piano playing (dynamics and touch) at remarkably high fidelity for the time. Thus these piano rolls are primary documents showing how Debussy intended his works to be played. While these recordings to not have the fidelity of modern acoustic recordings, it is possible to detect pedaling, tempo and dynamics. This recording has been the basis of scholarly research, such as the essay by Cecilia Denoyer in the book "Debussy in Performance", edited by James Briscoe.

The acoustic recordings of the vocal works are of much lower fidelity, but do give a sense of Debussy's feel of the piano.

If you are studying Debussy's piano works and want to know how to interpret his notation, this album is for you. If you just want to listen to Debussy's piano works, a modern recording may be more musically pleasing, but you may still enjoy hearing the pieces as they were played by the master himself.

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Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande

Manufacturer: Universal France
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004VFNY
Release Date: 2006-07-14

Tracks:

Pelleas Et Melisande

Album Details

Separate order gp 8/8/2006

Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande / M. Ewing · Le Roux · van Dam · Courtis · Ludwig · Wiener Phil. · Abbado

Average customer rating:

Unexpected excellence
dense and luxurious chromatic music
TOO DEEP FOR TEARS
Really good, but...
Delicious!

Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande / M. Ewing · Le Roux · van Dam · Courtis · Ludwig · Wiener Phil. · Abbado
Claude Debussy , Claudio Abbado , Maria Ewing , François Le Roux , Wiener Philharmoniker , José van Dam , Christa Ludwig , Patrizia Pace , and Rudolf Mazzola
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GFU
Release Date: 1992-11-10

Tracks:

Pelleas et Melisande: Je ne pourrai plus sortir de cette foret - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Pourquoi pleures-tu? - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Je suis perdu aussi - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Voici ce qu'il ecrit son frere Pelleas - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Qu'en dites-vous? - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Interlude - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Il fait sombre dans les jardins - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Hoe! Hisse Hoe! - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Vous ne savez pas ou je vous ai menee? - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: C'est au bord d'une fontaine - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Interlude - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Ah! Ah! Tout va bien - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Voyons, donne-moi ta main - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Interlude - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Oui, c'est ici, nous y sommes - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Mes longs cheveux descendent jusqu'au seuil de la tour - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Je les tiens dans les mains - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Que faites-vous ici? - Claude Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Prenez garde; par ici, par ici - Claude Debussy

Tracks:

Pelleas et Melisande: Interlude - Ah! Je respire enfin! - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Interlude - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Viens, nous allons nous asseoir ici, Yniold - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Qu'ils s'embrassent, petit pere? - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Ou vas-tu ? - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Maintenant que le pere de Pelleas est sauve - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Pelleas part ce soir - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Ne mettez pas ainsi votre main a la gorge - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Interlude - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Oh! Cette pierre est lourde - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: C'est le dernier soir - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Nous sommes venus ici il y a bien longtemps - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: On dirait que ta voix a passe sur la mer au printemps - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Quel est ce bruit? - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Ce n'est pas de cette petite blessure qu'elle peut mourir - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Attention; je crois qu'elle s'eveille - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Melisande, as-tu pitie de moi comme j'ai pitie de toi ? - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Non, non, nous n'avons pas ete coupables - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Qu'avez-vous fait ? - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Qu'y a-t-il ? - C. Debussy
Pelleas et Melisande: Attention... attention. Il faut parler a voix basse, maintenant - C. Debussy

Amazon.com

On paper, this recording is not necessarily promising. Neither Claudio Abbado nor the Vienna Philharmonic is noted for Debussy, and the enigmatic sense of restraint required by the role of Mélisande would not seem right for the hyperdramatic Maria Ewing. Nonetheless, this is among the best modern recordings available. The mysterious story of two lovers with questionable pasts drawn to each other with equal parts telepathy and sexuality is interpreted by Abbado with great confidence and rhythmic animation. Ewing channels her dramatic sense into a performance of great intensity and specificity, but in keeping with the opera's dreamy atmosphere. Other singers are old hands at their roles, with François Le Roux as Pelléas and Jose van Dam as Golaud. And in a bit of luxurious casting, Christa Ludwig sings the brief role of Genevieve with the French language bringing out a softness in her voice that's welcome to anyone who has spent decades hearing her sing in German. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Unexpected excellence.......2007-05-10

Abbado has made many wonderful opera recordings over the years, but Debussy's is not the first that would come to mind as one he is well-suited for. And so it is a delightful surprise to hear such marvelous results, in all respects. Singers, orchestra, and recording engineers join with the conductor in producing as close as we're ever likely to get to a fully rendered balance of this complex opera's diverse elements.

As a longtime fan of Christa Ludwig's, I find it an extra bonus to hear her sounding so gorgeous in French.

DG's entire production is done so well that this should be on everybody's Top Ten list of required opera listening.

dense and luxurious chromatic music.......2006-05-31

Perhaps Abbado may have deliberately sped the tempo to fit 'Pelléas et Mélisande' onto two CDs, but it sounds alright to me this way, slightly stirred.

If you're receptive, Pelléas et Mélisande's soundscapes should evoke something; for me, hypnotic pictographs and sensations, of disrupted waters, ancient promontories bathed in light; mysterious, enlightening, melancholy. And yet it is also rooted in the passionate, earth-bound exchange between a man and a woman.

PeM is an answer to Wagner's Parsifal. They both borrow from the same palette. This is Debussy's only opera, so you may be forced to look to other composers for more art in this vein, such as Parsifal or Tristan & Isolde. (Farther afield, Aida, Madama Butterfly, and Salome.)

Pelléas et Mélisande's operatic side rarely countervails the symphonic side, so it's a relatively easy listen. Though others may disagree, the plot's narrative doesn't advance the drama for me, so try concentrating on the music and the voices.

TOO DEEP FOR TEARS.......2006-05-05

Debussy's great Pelleas et Melisande is not really a music-drama, much less an opera, in any familiar sense. It is more a book sung rather than read. The text is prose - quite simple prose at that - and so far as I know it is lifted straight from Maeterlinck's play. The music is as continuous as Wagner without relying on Wagner's special device of Leitmotiv, sc musical phrases with specific associations. The vocal idiom is a kind of constant recitative, and it is innocent of anything we would normally call melody from start to finish. That, on my view of the work, is how it must be - when singing a prose text tunes would be out of place. Again, I can think of no opera or music-drama that makes its effect so completely in sound alone, indeed that is how I prefer it. There may be no tunes, but there is infinite `atmosphere' to this music. It does not even `illustrate' its text, it fuses with it to form a single indivisible unity. It is toweringly great music in my opinion, but it has no existence apart from the narrative of which it has become a part.

Maeterlinck belongs to the school of French writers normally called `symbolist', and indeed there is symbolism enough in his story to keep the literary criticism industry going for centuries. The story captured the attention of other great composers too. It drew from Sibelius some attractive but lightweight incidental music, and Schoenberg was moved, alas, to depict it in a tone-poem of excruciating length and turgidity. Debussy was born, it seems, to give this deep and disturbing story its true and worthy musical representation. It is a depthlessly sad story, but on one level it is a very realistic one. The behaviour of Golaud and Pelleas is very recognisable indeed, and if the old king Arkel is as much a kind of Greek chorus in his comments as a kind of Nestor, the child Yniold is a very familiar type of French child. Melisande herself is the figure of mystery and contradictions. We never even find out where she came from - she was found crying in a forest like Coleridge's Geraldine, the victim apparently of unspecified wrongs done by unnamed wrongdoers. She is not a witch like Geraldine, but she precipitates the tragedy and she is a liar. She lies to Pelleas about the behaviour of Golaud when he found her (he was an impeccable gentleman), she lies to Golaud about the loss of her wedding-ring, and when she tells Pelleas that she only lies to Golaud that is itself a lie. However not only Golaud but Arkel too think of her as childlike, and indeed the developing passion in her relationship with Pelleas seems to come mainly from his side. Her death itself may have been the result of giving birth, although nobody suggests that, rather than a tragic event like the death of Desdemona. This is not a Shakespearean tragedy in any way, nor even a Greek-style one. The frequent references to fate are something else entirely here - this is just what can happen to people in certain situations.

Such is the power of the music that I prefer it all without stage action. Debussy creates a world of his own, and the performers here rise to it superbly. The trumpets surely sounded on the other side for Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic for their superb realisation of this wonderful score, steering clear of hyperbole but without artificial coldness or restraint either. The singers seem to me without exception excellent. I am not myself a singer in any meaningful sense of the word, but I would guess that in technical terms Debussy's vocal writing is much less difficult than Wagner's to say nothing of Verdi's. Be that as it may, it calls for artistry and sensitivity of an exceptional order, and I hope I never have to revise my early impression that it is all something near flawless. The recording, from 1991, is just right to my ears too, and even the liner notes are outstandingly good. Maeterlinck's French is very simple, and I only glanced at the translation now and again. So far as I noticed, it was generally good, except that I spotted one howler - `le pont' on a ship is not the bridge but the deck. Would a sailing-ship have a bridge anyway? I also thought it rather a pity to downgrade Maeterlinck's vivid and memorable `l'haleine de la mort' to the dull and conventional `the shadow of death'.

How much general appeal this great work will ever have is something I have no means of knowing. I have not even attempted in a short review to touch on the matter of the symbolism that lies at its heart. If you are new to it, all I would say is that to have any hope of understanding it you must follow the text with undeviating attention, and it is in no way difficult to follow. It is not a thing to tug at your heart-strings in an ordinary sense, but it is as deep as the fountain in the park or the pools in the cave, and after hearing an account as fine as this one is it should take you some time to become the person you were before, if indeed you ever do.

Really good, but..........1999-12-15

If Boulez's laserdisc account (DG) didn't exist, I would probably say that Abbado's is the best account that I've heard. It is certainly very, very good -- lots of atmosphere and passion, and absolutely gorgeous playing from the Vienna Philharmonic. However, there are a lot of things Abbado does that does not necessarily benefit the music -- the syncopated chords (depicting the dying Melisande's faltering breath) in the beginning of Act V are smoothed over so that one hears them only as long sustained chords. A lot of orchestrational detail is lost in Abbado's generally "fat" conducting. And the recording has a little bit too much reverb (which doesn't help the already not-too-clear performance). The cast is quite divine -- Le Roux is a little bit too nasal sounding to me, but I quickly got used to him. Ewing's tone is just a tad bit too rich for my taste. I prefer Boulez's cast -- he has a more pure-toned Melisande (Alison Hagley) and a better characterized Pelleas (Neill Archer). And, of course, Boulez's clarity is the very opposite of Abbado's murk. Alas, I believe Boulez's performance (the one on laserdisc) is out of print. I don't like Boulez's first version (Sony) -- it's not as clear, and the cast is not at all good. If you really want a Pelleas now, you could do worse than purchasing this set (Karajan's recording is even more fat than this, and is to be avoided!). I hope DG decides to re-release Boulez's recording on CD. I love this opera a lot, but I must say that, despite Abbado's fine performance, I would still not purchase this set simply because I know that there are too many things in this incomparable score that Abbado misses.

Delicious!.......1999-09-04

What else needs to be said? Maria Ewing is amazing, sexy, sensual,Le Roux is also youthful, vibrant, and Abbado is at his best!

Average customer rating:

For the Hopeless Romantic

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0006SSNA0
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

Clair de lune
Larghetto, e piano
Pavane pour une infante dnte
En bateau
Largo
Intermezzo
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Clair de lune
Mtation religieuse - Symphonie
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Variation 18 (excerpt)

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Review of Flute Passion CD

Flute Passion

Manufacturer: EMI Classics Imports
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00008PW65
Release Date: 2003-11-04

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IV. Bourrees 1 & 2 - Elaine Schaffer
V. Polonaise & Double - Elaine Schaffer
VI. Menuet - Elaine Schaffer
VII. Badinerie - Elaine Schaffer
II. Siciliano - Michel Debost
Ouverture - David Munrow
Les Plaisirs - David Munrow
Sonate Pour 2 Flutes En Sol Majeur, Op.2 No.1: II. Andante - Allegro - James Galway
I. Largo - Bruno Cavallo
II. 'Fantasmi' Presto - Bruno Cavallo
III. Largo - Bruno Cavallo
IV. Presto - Bruno Cavallo
V. Largo 'II Sonno' - Bruno Cavallo
VI. Allegro - Bruno Cavallo
I. Allegro - Michel Sanvoisin
Concerto Pour Flute, Harpe & Orchestra En Ut Majeur, K.299: II. Andantino - James Galway
Romance Pour Flute & Piano En La Majeur, Op.94 No.1 - Jean-Pierre Rampal
L'Arlesienne: Menuet - Michel Debost
Carmen: Entracte (Acte III) - Michel Debost
L'Oiseau Des Bois, Idylle Pour Flute & 4 Cors, Op.21 - John Solum
Casse-Noisette: Danse Des Mirlitons - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Adagio - London Symphony Orchestra
L'Oiseau Bleu Et La Princess Florine - London Symphony Orchestra
Le Carnaval Des Animaux: Voliere - Francois Laurent
Pelleas Et Melisande: Sicilienne - Patricia Nagle
Daphnis Et Chloe: Pantomime - Michel Debost

Tracks:

Syrinx Pour Flute Seule - Michel Debost
Danse De La Chevre Pour Flute Seule - Jonathan Snowden
Entr'acte - Roger Bourdin
I. Allegro Malinconico - Eric Le Sage
II. Cantilene - Eric Le Sage
III. Presto Giocoso - Eric Le Sage
Density 21/5 Pour Flute Seule - Michel Debost
I. Pan - Raymund Havenith
Ballade Pour Flute, Orchestre A Cordes & Piano - Aurele Nicolet
Le Merle Noir - Karlheinz Zoller
Vermont Counterpoint - Ransom Wilson
I. Allegretto - Kathleen Chastain
II. Andante - Kathleen Chastain
III. Anime - Kathleen Chastain
Sequenza Pour Flute Seule - Karlheinz Zoller
Chant De Linos, Pour Flute & Piano - Eric Le Sage

Customer Reviews:

Review of Flute Passion CD.......2004-08-08

I came across this CD while looking for recordings of music that I could play to Flute Students. This CD is a winner, as it contains music at the Grade -7 level (Australia) and makes a wonderful purchase for both teachers and students. The various artists represented on the CD's are amongst the best flautists in the world. An excellent choice for anyone passionate about the flute.

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