Debussy: La mer, Ibéria, Images & 6 Épigraphes antiques

Featuring

Gustavo Gimeno
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Claude Debussy

Did you know?

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Recording & Production

This album features two different orchestrations of Debussy's piano works: Rudolf Escher's, which is restrained and effective, and Colin Matthews's, which is virtuosic and resourceful.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Debussy disliked the term "impressionism" for music, believing music had different goals and capabilities than painting.

Instruments

The Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg has access to a cello made by Matteo Go/uniFB00riller (1659-1742), known as «Le Luxembourgeois», provided by BGL BNP Paribas.

Composition History

Despite its title, Debussy composed "La Mer" entirely in Paris, admitting that the sea fascinated him to the point of paralyzing his creative facilities.

Composition History

Debussy's "La Mer" was inspired by Japanese art, specifically Hokusai's "Hollow of the Wave off Kanagawa," which he used for the cover of his published scores.

Composition History

Debussy's "Ibéria" was inspired by his imagination of Spain, similar to how Bizet composed "Carmen" without first-hand experience of the country.

Performer Biography

Gustavo Gimeno, the conductor, began his international conducting career in 2012 as an assistant to Mariss Jansons, and was mentored by Bernard Haitink and Claudio Abbado.