The album features works by Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, with a transcription by Maurice Ravel, all of whom met, listened to, and appreciated each other's work.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Stravinsky's Petrouchka marked a departure from his earlier post-Wagnerian style, embracing a 'tawny diatonicism' and incorporating Russian folklore and popular song.
Composer Biography
Claude Debussy greatly admired Igor Stravinsky, describing Petrouchka as having a 'sound magic' and a 'mysterious transformation of mechanical souls that become human'.
Compositional Technique
Debussy's Six Épigraphes antiques, published in 1915, reuses over half of his earlier incidental music for Pierre Louÿs's Chansons de Bilitis.
Critical Reception
The 1894 premiere of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un Faune did not cause a scandal, but rather received unanimous public acclaim, with audiences demanding an encore.
Performer Biography
The Geister Duo, comprised of David Salmon and Manuel Vieillard, won first prize at the ARD International Music Competition Munich in 2021, along with five special prizes.
Compositional Technique
Stravinsky's own piano four-hands transcription of Petrouchka is considered by some to be the original, with the orchestral version merely a possible transcription, due to the work's polytonalism and 'cut and paste' techniques.
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Contrasts
Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 65
Debussy: Works for two pianos & four-hand piano
Brahms: Klavierduo
French Piano Duets
Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 (Version for Piano 4 Hands): I. Morning Mood
