Classical Music | Piano Music

Claude Debussy

Feuilles Mortes, from Préludes, Book II  Play

Giorgi Latso Piano

Recorded on 10/03/2010, uploaded on 10/03/2010

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Claude Debussy composed his two books of preludes during a remarkably brief period—the first, between December 1909 and February 1910; and the second, during roughly the same period in 1912-13. Though totaling twenty-four in number between the two books, Debussy’s preludes do not follow the precedent established by J. S. Bach’s ubiquitously known Well-Tempered Clavier (namely, a prelude in each of the major and minor keys) and imitated by several other composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Charles-Valentin Alkan, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. However, this does not mean that Debussy’s preludes are without order, and the relationships that can be found among them indicate that their published order was, to a certain extent, quite purposeful, yet also designed with a degree of inherent flexibility. Debussy, in keeping with the artistic philosophy of his day, also composed each prelude with specific scene or image in mind. Yet, to partially disguise these intents from the listener and to allow his audience to discover them of their own accord, Debussy craftily placed his titles at the end of each prelude. Performance practice of the preludes varies. Early performances, even by Debussy himself, established a precedent of grouping the prelude in threes or fours, allowing performers to pick those in which they perhaps are most comfortable. However, some performers also choose to perform each book in their entirety.

Feuille Mortes (“Dead Leaves”) is second in Debussy’s final book of preludes. It is a stark and melancholy piece, dictated by the image Debussy selected for this piece, giving the listener the sense of standing isolated amongst the barren trees, looking down at the covered earth, yet inevitably left with the hope and expectation of the return of life to the wilderness scene. A relatively brief piece in ternary form, the prelude opens with a handful of motives, given in a rather austere manner with little ornamentation or rapid movements, aiding to establish the bleak scene. The central episode becomes slightly more animated, though also marked to be played more gravely, as one of the motives momentarily becomes an ostinato bass. A return of the opening material leads to the prelude’s close in C-sharp major.      Joseph DuBose

 

Giorgi Latsabidze Plays Debussy Preludes Book 2

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DVD/CD presented by Onward Entertainment, Wayne Adams, CharismARTist Foundation. A J.G. Weaver Documentary recorded LIVE in performance, November 2009, Los Angeles, CA.This is second documentary recorded live by the above, preceded by LATSABIDZE THE RECITAL, November 2008, Los Angeles, CA