Notes and Editorial Reviews
DEBUSSY
L’Isle joyeuse. Images,
Book 1. Ballade.
Estampes. Rêverie. Pour le piano
•
Mark Swartzentruber (pn)
•
SOLO 5 (60:33)
There are two contrasting maxims, one that says, “Once bitten, twice shy,” and another that says, “The third time’s the charm.” The latter proved true for my experience in listening to pianist Mark Swartzentruber. Where he lacked a certain antique charm in Scarlatti and fire in Beethoven, he does very well indeed in
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Debussy.
He is not quite as outstanding as Gieseking or Thibaudet, but he’s very close to that good. Especially in the
Images
and
Rêverie,
his light, feathery touch and delicate sound tracings are exactly what the music calls for. Nor is his playing two-dimensional, lacking feeling. These performances have just the right balance between elegance and that inner fire that Debussy always called for, particularly in
Pour le piano
. In fact, by the time he got into the Ballade, I was completely entranced by his playing and could have listened to him all day.
Of course, if you already have these pieces played by Thibaudet or another Debussy specialist, you’re covered, but if not, these are awfully good modern renderings.
FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
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Works on This Recording
1.
L'isle joyeuse by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Mark Swartzentruber (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1904; France
Venue: Fazioli Concert Hall, Sacile
Length: 6 Minutes 3 Secs.
2.
Images for Piano, Set 1 by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Mark Swartzentruber (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1905; France
Venue: Fazioli Concert Hall, Sacile
Length: 16 Minutes 51 Secs.
3.
Ballade slave by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Mark Swartzentruber (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1890/1903; France
Venue: Fazioli Concert Hall, Sacile
Length: 6 Minutes 18 Secs.
4.
Estampes (3) for Piano by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Mark Swartzentruber (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1903; France
Venue: Fazioli Concert Hall, Sacile
Length: 13 Minutes 13 Secs.
5.
Rêverie by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Mark Swartzentruber (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1890; France
Venue: Fazioli Concert Hall, Sacile
Length: 4 Minutes 4 Secs.
6.
Suite for Piano "Pour le piano" by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Mark Swartzentruber (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1896-1901; France
Venue: Fazioli Concert Hall, Sacile
Length: 13 Minutes 23 Secs.
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