大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores Debussy's life in his thirties, a challenging period both personally and musically. Today Donald follows the chain of events that result in the exit of Debussy's companion of eight years, Gabrielle Dupont, and the advent of her replacement in Debussy's affections, Lily Texier.

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.

At the age of thirty-five Debussy began to feel he should get married. At the time he was preoccupied with his opera Pell茅as et M茅lisande. When he was introduced to Lily Texier, a model with long blonde hair, it seems he might have met a real life counterpart to the M茅lisande of his imagination.

Pell茅as et M茅lisande, Act 1 excerpt
Une for锚t
Les Si猫cles
Fran莽ois-Xavier Roth, conductor

Pell茅as et M茅lisande, Act 1, sc 3
Il fait sombre dans les jardins.
Vannina Santoni, soprano, M茅lisande
Julien Behr, tenor, Pell茅as
Les Si猫cles
Fran莽ois-Xavier Roth, conductor

Trois Nocturnes
II: F锚tes
Berlin Philharmonic
Claudio Abbado, conductor

Lindaraja for 2 pianos
Alfons Kontarsky
Aloys Kontarsky

Pell茅as et M茅lisande, Act 3, Sc 1
Une des tours du ch芒teau - Mes longs cheveux descendent
Oh ! Oh ! Qu'est-ce que c'est
Laisse-moi ! Laisse-moi relever la tete
Vannina Santoni, soprano, M茅lisande
Julien Behr, tenor, Pell茅as
Alexandre Duhamel, baritone, Golaud
Les Si猫cles
Fran莽ois-Xavier Roth, conductor

Hommage 脿 Rameau (No. 2 from Images pour piano - Book 1)
Vikingur 脫laffson, piano

Rapsodie orch. Roger Ducasse
Alexandre Doisy, saxophone
Lyon National Orchestra
Jun M盲rkl