Debussy - L`Isle Joyeuse - Who is this?

[rojo]

I have a new favourite piano solo work!

Debussy`s L`isle Joyeuse! I can`t believe I`d never heard this before. Anyway, here is the video of it that I found at youtube; I was in the process of checking out all the videos of Debussy`s works there. Most I already knew, and/or were not the greatest performances, let`s say. But this one.... well... I was on the edge of my seat!

That being said, nowhere does it say who is playing! Does anyone know who this is? I plan on buying a cd of this work anyway, but I really wonder who it is, lol! Excellent interpretation, imo. The sound isn`t great, but it`s from 1981...

Does anyone have a cd they could recommend of this work? Which artist/s play/s it best?

Have a bit of patience if you decide to watch this video; there`s some blah blah at the beginning, but it`s not long, and it`s very worth it!

YouTube - Debussy Isle of Joy

[acciaccatura]

Debussy and Gieseking are inseparable entities... tho the recording is old and in Mono, I think. Gieseking's rendering of L'Isle Joyeuse is breathtaking... I have no idea of availability.

[rojo]

Thanks a lot for that, acciaccatura. I`ll have a look around for it.

[rojo]

So they`ve posted the guy`s name now; it`s David Smith.

Bravo, David Smith!

How come we haven`t heard more about this man?

[rojo]

Well, I`ve just been checking out other selections posted at youtube by a child of this fine pianist, and I must say, what a treat. Thanks go to the man`s offspring for posting all these wonderful treasures!

Debussy, Chopin, Scarlatti, Bach, Ibert, etc., all wonderfully played.

For a huge fan of Debussy such as myself, (I don`t love all his works, but a few of his works are my top all-time faves,) I consider myself lucky to have heard these great interpretations.

I wonder if he ever played Ravel`s La Valse; sure would love to hear that.... greedy greedy, I know.

[rojo]

Update- everyone must go check out the videos posted by creativebna over at youtube. It`s like a historical flashback to the some of the greats of piano and other instruments. Fabulous. I won`t bother listing all the great pianists/videos there, go see for yourself. You will not be dissapointed, I assure you.

As to David Edward Smith, what a wonderful musician/pianist! He really understands each piece of music. Flawless technique, and more importantly, character, honesty, openess, and musicality abound in his playing. I can`t say enough good things about this man`s playing.

Thank you creativebna.

[Ouled Nails]

Hello rojo. D.E. Smith is very much knowledgeable of Debussy's piano music. It's a treat to watch him play l'Isle joyeuse and reflets dans l'eau. The first piece, in particular, seems to be extremely demanding technically speaking.

youtube is a peculiar media, don't you think? Take reflets dans l'eau, for instance. One can listen to numerous videos of this singular piece successively, such as the one by A.B. Michaelangeli, the great "magician" of some of Debussy's piano pieces.

[rojo]

Hi ON,

I can`t seem to find the Michelangeli version of Reflets dans l`eau at youtube. Did find Claudio Arrau`s version though. Excellent as well.

L`isle Joyeuse is indeed quite demanding. I like the way D. E. Smith uses rubato; some people take parts of the piece too fast. It is somewhat of a 'show piece', but those fantastic, lush chords need to be lingered on in certain places (like near the end) so that one can appreciate them fully. That`s a hugely important point of this kind of music, imo. Of course much of the piece needs to be fast, and Smith has no problem with that either. That`s what`s great about his playing. It`s not just showmanship here; it`s thoughtful, intelligent and meaningful playing. Some people think faster is better, but speed is just one element, after all.

[Ouled Nails]

Hi rojo,
I hope this will do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bKaqAbUVEM
If it does not work, I accessed it via Smith's youtube video of the same piece, scrolling down comparable videos. Remember, though, that I haven't the slightest expertise playing the piano.

[rojo]

Ah, there it is. Thanks ON.

I`ll give it a good listen.

[Miz_ai]

speaking of L'Isle Joyeuse,
anybody can help me with the Historical analysis, i mean the background of thi piece
for what i know, debussy write this after he went vacation with his lover, kinda vacation to tropical place.. >_<;; i don't know whether this was a joke or not

i alway wonder about the opening of this pieces, you know , the trill-that-sound-minor part... , my friend tell me that it pictured the hot day, sunny day, something like that.. i dunno why but the sound of the opening sounds scary too me ^^;;

[Ouled Nails]

Oh, no, time for gossip . Claude first lived with Gaby, during his "Bohemian" period (Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, etc.). He ultimately finds life difficult with her and begins an affair with an unknown woman, perhaps his future wife, Lily Texier. Gaby does not take it well, takes a gun and shoots herself, lukily not fatal. Claude then marries Lily Texier, a woman described as being of modest social origin. That's the period of Pelléas et Mélisande. She is a very supportive wife who helps him weather the difficult years of his affirmation as an original and innovative composer. But Claude gets tired of Lily, begins another affair with a "cultivated" lady of "la haute société," Emma Bardac, even brings his wife Lily to vacation with him at his lover's summer home! Lily learns of his affair, becomes despondent, takes a gun and, yes, shoots herself in the chest...again not a fatal wound. Here's the relevant part. A this point all of Claude's friends turn their back on him, taking side with his wife Lily, as the scandalous story of this second nearly tragic case of adultery spreads through all of Paris and beyond. Here begins Claude's period of reclusion, when he will prove very productive, writing "La Mer" and completing l'Isle Joyeuse. Should one see a connection between this transition in Debussy's life and the "music in transition" found in l'Isle joyeuse?
This piece's originality is described in terms of a "central relationship ... between material based on the whole-tone scale, the lydian mode, and the diatonic scale, the lydian mode functioning as an effective mediator between the other two."(Wikipedia) In any case, the vacation area where this marital crisis played out was not in a tropical place but is simply called Pourville. More interestingly, I think, this turning point in Debussy's life, 1904, leading to the completion of La Mer, is often viewed as the beginning of his "maturity" phase.

[Miz_ai]

Thank you very much ouled!!!
i 've just listening to the music again after reading you desc.
the music sounds premiscious to me now.. and the opening part maybe symbolize the fear of commitment or continuity in relationship.XD;; confussion of love life
and at the ending(last 1/3 part) it's seem like he's really had enough..

Again, thank you very much!, the image is now clear~, i was really curious why a composition called island sound like this.. XD hehe

[rojo]

Personally, I find the piece expresses a certain euphoria, or happiness. At least in parts, especially those two last chords near the end. The piece has the word Joyeuse in the title, after all. Who knows what Debussy was trying to convey here? We can only put forward opinions; Debussy is the one who knows for sure what he meant with the piece. (Imho, it was about a happy time in his life... )

Btw, the opening trill is whole tone, followed by broken augmented chords.