Claude Debussy - Études (Mitsuko Uchida)

Information

Composer: Claude Debussy

• Études, L 136

Mitsuko Uchida, piano

Date: 1990

Label: Philips

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Review

It is not very many years ago that Debussy's late piano music (these Études and his two-piano En blanc et noir) were considered difficult to listen to and rarely performed. Having struggled with them clumsily at the keyboard for decades I have been delighted to see their growing popularity, evidenced by a sold-out Pollini recital of these studies in Zurich paired with Boulez, unthinkable until recently.

This interpretation of these technically difficult and 'profoundly original piano works' (Misha Donat, as wise a guide as you will find) was hailed on its original release, and well deserves inclusion in the Philips 50 series. Debussy wanted them to be dedicated to Chopin &/or Couperin as their 'forseers', and they are a staging post towards the ongoing series by Ligeti. Each tackles a pianistic problem, but their musical development takes off in unpredictable directions and they have as much to teach composers as pianists.

The most thoughtful comparative guides to standard piano masterworks (yes, these are now established standards, with numerous good CDs) is to be found in Piano Quarterly, which did not award the palm to Uchida. Nevertheless, I love the fire and finesse of her version and have relished them in many re-hearings. Superb recorded sound and warmly recommended. Short measure? Quality is what counts!

— Peter Grahame Woolf

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Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer who was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His orchestral works include Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894), Nocturnes (1897–1899), Images (1905–1912), and La mer (1903–1905). His piano works include sets of 24 Préludes and 12 Études. Throughout his career Debussy also wrote mélodies based on a wide variety of poetry, including his own. His works have strongly influenced a wide range of composers including Béla Bartók, Olivier Messiaen, George Benjamin, and the jazz musician Bill Evans.

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Mitsuko Uchida (born 20 December 1948) is a Japanese-English pianist and conductor. Born in Atami, she moved to Vienna at age 12 and studied under distinguished teachers including Richard Hauser and Maria Curcio. Renowned for her interpretations of Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Beethoven, as well as modern composers such as Berg, Schoenberg, Webern and Kurtág, Uchida has collaborated with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra. Recording exclusively for Decca, she has received multiple prestigious awards, including two Grammys and a Gramophone Award.

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