The newly discovered Prélude, 'Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon,' was composed in 1917 at the suggestion of a coal merchant, Monsieur Tronquin.
Composition History
A previously unknown Debussy Prélude, 'Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon,' was discovered at an auction in late 2001.
Compositional Technique
In the second book of Préludes, Debussy used a system of three staves instead of the usual two to visually represent the polyphonic complexity.
Composer Biography
Claude Debussy composed his most important piano pieces, including the two books of Préludes, relatively late in his career.
Performer Biography
Evgeni Koroliov, the pianist on this album, won numerous international prizes, including the Leipzig Bach Competition in 1968 and the Grand Prix Clara Haskil Vevey-Montreux in 1977.
Compositional Technique
Debussy's Préludes treat the piano like a 'many-voiced keyboard orchestra,' utilizing its full range and a layering technique to create rich polyphony.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Debussy gave his Préludes programmatic titles, but placed them in brackets at the end of each piece to emphasize the music's preeminence over poetic considerations.
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