Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 04/18/2013, uploaded on 04/18/2013

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

La Soirée dans Grenade (Evening in Granada), the second piece from Debussy’s piano suite, Estampes, gained immediate acclaim from none other than Manuel de Falla who attested to its authentic Spanish flavor despite Debussy’s having never been in Spain except in his imagination. On that point, Debussy once wrote, “When you don’t have any money to go on holiday, you must make do by using your imagination.”  Michael Brown

Meaning “prints” or “engravings,” Claude Debussy’s Estampes, composed in 1903, is a musical journey that spans nearly half the world. It begins with evocations of East Asia in the opening piece, Pagodas; then takes the listener to Spain in La soirée dans Grenade; and, finally, returns to Debussy’s own country with Jardins sous la pluie.

Pagodas makes prominent use of the pentatonic scale and Javanese Gamelan music to depict the majestic temples of East Asia that give the piece its title. The music seems to flow effortlessly and possesses a remarkably beautiful serenity. To create the unique impression of Pagodas, Debussy specifically marks the piece to be played “presque sans nuance,” meaning “almost without nuance,” essentially going against a pianist’s inherent tendency to use rubato to enhance a piece’s expressiveness, but creating in effect an entrancing stillness.

La soirée dans Grenade draws on the habanera to evoke the Spanish city. Though actually a dance of Cuban origin, the habanera became quite popular in France during the 19^th century, and was on several occasions used by French composers in their depictions of the Iberian Peninsula. Indeed, Debussy even used the dance again in La Puerta del Vino from his second book of preludes. With the exception of two brief passages toward the conclusion of the piece, Debussy avoids the fiery flamenco-like music so often stereotypically connected with Spain. Nonetheless, in his own musical language, Debussy creates a vivid and impressive depiction of Grenada. The Spanish composer Manuel de Falla held Soirée in high regard and stated, "There is not even one measure of this music borrowed from the Spanish folklore, and yet the entire composition in its most minute details, conveys admirably Spain."

Following in the tradition of the French keyboardists before him, the finale of Estampes is essentially a toccata. A highly energetic and rhythmic piece, Jardins sous la pluie (“Gardens in the Rain”) gives the impression of a rather heavy rainstorm. At times, one can wonder if there are not hints of thunder in the music. Two French folksongs are used in the piece, Nous n'irons plus aux bois (“We'll Not Return to the Woods”) and Dodo, l'enfant do (“Sleep, Child, Sleep”), suggesting that a child unable to go outside and play is also part of the musical portrait.       Joseph DuBose

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.