Claude Debussy - Orchestral Works (Bernard Haitink)

Information

Composer: Claude Debussy

CD1

• Berceuse héroïque
• Images, L. 122
• Jeux (Poème dansé), L. 126
• Marche écossaise

CD2

• Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 86
• Nocturnes, L. 91
• La Mer, L. 109
• Première Rhapsodie, for clarinet & orchestra
• Danses for harp & orchestra

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Eduard van Beinum, conductor (Berceuse héroïque)

Bernard Haitink, conductor

Compilation: 1993

Label: Philips

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Review

This Debussy reissue is a must-have for any collection. The Prélude (recorded in 1976) is beautifully and affectingly done. While the un-credited flute soloist is excellent, best of all is Haitink’s skill at layering textures during louder, faster moving sections. Sonics are fabulous, exemplified in the ideally balanced passages toward the close involving stopped horns, and notably where Chinese miniature cymbals are added as the main theme recurs (often recorded at too low a level). The 1979 account of Debussy’s Nocturnes is one of the very best recordings of the work. Few versions of Fêtes build such a spectacular crescendo from the entry of the two muted trumpets, joined later by side drums, producing a thrilling wave of sound as the festival procession passes. But at the loudest point, note that the violins’ unison restatement of the theme introduced earlier by the winds is still perfectly audible.

La Mer is majestic and brilliantly done. The solo cellos midway through “From dawn to mid-day at sea” don’t need help from the mixer as the Concertgebouw acoustic captures their richness naturally, and every passing detail (particularly cor anglais, solo violin, and tuned percussion) in “Play of the waves” is breathtakingly clear. Haitink builds one of the most trenchant and powerful finales, but the central section (its tension held by the high violin harmonic sustained over a burgeoning theme in the winds) is memorable, as is the vehement closing section. Lastly, Haitink is very effective at distilling the colors and scents of Ibéria, but Boulez’s Cleveland recording for DG of Images will be a strong contender if you want this work complete. Haitink’s Concertgebouw Debussy performances, though, are pretty well unbeatable, and the new Philips 50 transfers are equally outstanding.

— Michael Jameson

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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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Bernard Haitink (4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He studied violin and conducting at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Haitink was chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (1961–88), principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1967–1979), music director at Glyndebourne Opera (1978–88) and of the Royal Opera House (1987–2002), principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden (2002–04), and finally principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2006–10). The focus of his prolific recording was classical symphonies and orchestral works.

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