大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores Debussy's life as he approaches his thirties. Today Debussy engages in some shady double-dealing in his private life which scandalises his close friend Chausson, with disastrous repercussions for his finances and his reputation.

One of the 20th century's most original minds, the French composer Claude Debussy has had a profound influence on the course of music. Born in 1862, his precocious talent gained him admittance to the prestigious Paris Conservatoire as a ten-year-old, one of the youngest pupils in the piano class. There were soon indications of his independence of mind. His student years are littered with reports which, while recognising his gifts also found him to be careless and scatterbrained. Debussy found it difficult to focus on his lessons because he felt frustrated with the rules of composition he was told to follow. He wanted to express himself differently, and if he broke the rules to achieve that, well, in his view, so be it.

This week Donald Macleod begins his stories at the point in Debussy's life where the young man has dispensed with institutional restrictions. He was free to choose his own path. No more rules, no more regulations. There were still some practical considerations he would have to factor in to his plans. Having fulfilled, for the main, the requirements of the Prix de Rome, he needed to make a professional name for himself, and most urgently, earn some money! All in all, it would prove to be a difficult decade.

After breaking off a brief engagement to the singer, Th茅r猫se Roger, it became clear that Debussy had not, as he claimed broken off an existing relationship with Gabrielle Dupont. Rumours began to circulate in Parisian artistic circles suggesting that Debussy had a murky history.

Images (1894)
III: Quelques aspects de "Nous n'irons plus au bois"鈥�
I: Lent
Paul Jacobs, piano

Proses lyriques
De fleurs
Elly Ameling, soprano
Irwin Gage, piano

Wagner, transcribed by Debussy for 2 pianos, WWV 63
Overture to Der fliegende H枚llander
Daniel Blumenthal, piano

Pell茅as et M茅lisande, Act 4, sc 4
C'est le dernier soir, le dernier soir.....Quel est ce bruit
Vannina Santoni, soprano, M茅lisande
Julien Behr, tenor, Pell茅as
Les Si猫cles
Fran莽ois-Xavier Roth, conductor

Pell茅as et M茅lisande, Act 1, excerpt
Pourquoi pleures-tu
Vannina Santoni, soprano, M茅lisande
Alexandre Duhamel, baritone, Golaud
Les Si猫cles
Fran莽ois-Xavier Roth, conductor

Nocturnes
I: Nuages
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, conductor