Debussy piano works
Debussy (1862-1918)
- THE HERALD SCOTLAND 20 BEST CLASSICAL RELEASES OF 2017
- GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICE
- GRAMOPHONE CRITICS’ CHOICE 2017
- LIMELIGHT RECORDING OF THE MONTH
‘Osborne traverses this well-known repertory with obvious relish, relying on immense musical and technical resources to reveal fresh, unexpected perspectives on music we all thought we knew … this is music-making of great subtlety and finesse which neither lovers of Debussy and French music nor those who value piano-playing on the highest artistic level will want to miss’ (Gramophone)
‘Steven Osborne has produced a recording that at its finest is truly mesmerising’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘Osborne has that impish, strange, unpredictable, mercurial, protean element that takes us totally by surprise’ (BBC Record Review)
‘I’ve always loved the way Steven Osborne plays French music—for the flux and febrile atmosphere, yes, but more for the rigour and steel. Forget any cliches of hazy impressionism, Osborne brings directness and muscle’ (The Guardian)
‘Osborne is immaculate, as passionate as precise’ (The Sunday Times)
‘This album has everything I could wish for in performances of Debussy's piano music: a wide tonal palette, clear outline of structure, sensitive touch, good pedalling, flair, clarity and rhythmic control’ (Pianist)
‘These are quite stunning interpretations from Osborne that feel entirely instinctive yet are gloriously refined … one of the finest recital albums I have heard for some time’ (MusicWeb International)
‘This recording confirms that Osborne is a Debussy interpreter to be reckoned with and it stands comparison with the very best Debussy piano recordings to emerge in recent years’ (MusicWeb International)
‘There’s no doubt that Steven Osborne is a thoroughbred among pianists … Debussy to die for; one for the desert island’ (MusicWeb International)
‘The three pieces of Estampes are similarly eloquently voiced, where 'La soirée dans Grenade' is suitably agitated, every change of mood unostentatiously communicated. Throughout the lighter Children’s Corner, the rhythms are beautifully delineated, the textures hyper-refined and the final 'Cake-walk' is unusually powerful … the recording captures most of Osborne’s huge dynamic range and there is excellent clarity and definition’ (Audiophile)
Tracklisting
Masques
… D’un cahier d’esquisses
L’isle joyeuse
Images I
Reflects dans l’eau
Hommage à Rameau
Mouvement
Images II
Cloches à travers les feuilles
Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut
Poissons d’or
Estampes
Pagodes
La soirée dans Grenade
Jardins sous la pluie
Children’s Corner
Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
Jimbo’s lullaby
Serenade for the doll
The snow is dancing
The little shepherd
Golliwogg’s cake-walk