Debussy disliked the label 'impressionist' for his musical language, preferring the term 'symbolist' instead.
Performer Biography
Eun-Joo Kwak, the pianist on this album, is a native of South Korea and has won top prizes in several international piano competitions, including the Samick National Piano Competition and the Tokyo International Piano Duo Competition.
Compositional Technique
Debussy deliberately placed the titles at the end of each Prélude, allowing the performer a personal discovery of images and sounds before knowing the poetic description.
Composition History
Claude Debussy completed his second book of Préludes in 1913, three years after finishing the first book.
Compositional Technique
Book II of Debussy's Préludes generally features a more expansive and complex idiom than Book I, with musical notation often spread across three staves instead of the conventional two.
Performer Biography
Eun-Joo Kwak has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and KBS Symphony Orchestra (Seoul).
Compositional Technique
Debussy's Préludes Book II showcases his experimentation with the latest harmonic innovations, requiring greater virtuosity and imagination from the performer.
