Classical Music | Music for Flute

Recorded on 01/23/2007, uploaded on 01/14/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Sonata for flute, viola and harp                    Claude Debussy  

I.    Pastorale; II. Interlude; III. Final                       

A master of color, nuance and subtlety, Debussy showcases all in this Sonata.  The work was intended to be one of six sonatas but cancer claimed his life just as he completed the third.  A stunning homage to his beloved France and perhaps to his own life, the work unfolds with a nostalgic quality, melancholy at times, joyful at others.  The color of the piece is unlike any other and the elusive haze that surrounds each character was perhaps aided by the morphine Debussy was taking at the time (thereby greatly affecting his vision).  Adding to this unique color is the instrumentation - a discovery all his own.  It isn't surprising that Debussy was drawn to the unique combination of flute, viola, and harp due to its transparent palette.  In fact, much gratitude is owed Debussy for not only the brilliance of the Sonata, but for the inspiration his timbral discovery ignited after his death.  The result is a body of repertoire that continues to flourish in the hands of today's living composers.     Elizabeth Meyers

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.