… Greek temple dancers, water-logged cathedrals, blondes and frustrated serenaders (to name but a few) are all grist to Debussy’s mill in book one of his Préludes. Ravel, on the other hand in his Gaspard de la Nuit, settles for water nymphs, gibbets and that malign house-goblin, Scarbo.
But first, four moonlit nights for you to consider…
Debussy: Préludes, Book 1 (and Two)
Book 1
0:00:00 1. Dancers of Delphi
0:03:46 2. Sails/Veils
0:07:37 3. The Wind in the Plain
0:09:51 4. The Sounds and Fragrances Swirl Through the Evening Air
0:14:20 5. The Hills of Anacapri
0:17:50 6. Footsteps in the Snow
0:22:08 7. What the West Wind Has Seen
0:25:47 8. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair
0:28:43 9. Interrupted Serenade
0:31:25 10. The Submerged Cathedral
0:38:42 11. Puck’s Dance
0:41:32 12. Minstrel
… and – if the mood takes you – there’s Book Two on the video, as well!
Mily Balakirev’s Islamey has the (unenviable?) reputation of being the most difficult piano work ever written; here’s Boris Berezovsky to show how it’s done:
… and, in his Gaspard de la Nuit, Ravel wanted to make the last movement – conjuring the Belgian gremlin, Scarbo – more challenging for the performer than Islamey( Hmmm…):
Ondine [0:00]
Le Gibet [7:36]
Scarbo [14:28]
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The Art of Listening 