Ka-boom
(10 downloads)Sunday, Jan 27, 2008
"Feux d’artifice" is French for fireworks. And a piece of music flaunting this not so uncommon title should be expected to be in the form of a relatively short, pyrotechnical showcase of virtuosity. In this case, it is an offering from Claude Debussy (1862-1918), the last work in the first volume of his Preludes for solo piano. Debussy’s early modernism is also up for display in his “Feux d’artifice” (1910) of which the concert pianist Alfred Cortot (1877-1962) suggested was “a completely atonal composition”. Cortot continues in his reaction to this music: “The impression of novelty is further enhanced by the extremely fragmented and amorphous nature of its form and thematic material. This is not to say, however, that the piece does not evoke specific images: The slumbering smoke of Bengal candles emitting single sparks, the crackling of rockets, the gradual parabolic descent of stars, the whirring of Catherine wheels, the blinding radiance of brightly-coloured bouquets, everything that sparkles and shines in the night, the entire magic of light is contained in this music.”
This recording is from 1927 by Elly Ney, one of the most highly regarded woman pianists of her day.
Brunswick 15094, 1927