Debussy: Orchestral Works

Disc 1
1	La Mer, symphonic sketche
2	La Mer, symphonic sketche
3	La Mer, symphonic sketche
4	Jeux, ballet, L. 126
5	Le martyre de Saint Sébas
6	Le martyre de Saint Sébas
7	Le martyre de Saint Sébas
8	Le martyre de Saint Sébas
9	Prélude à l'après-midi d'
Disc 2
1	Images (3), for orchestra
2	Images (3), for orchestra
3	Images (3), for orchestra
4	Images (3), for orchestra
5	Images (3), for orchestra
6	Nocturnes, for female cho
7	Nocturnes, for female cho
8	Nocturnes, for female cho
9	Printemps, symphonic suit
10	Printemps, symphonic suit
Debussy: Orchestral Works
1.	La Mer, symphonic sketches for orchestra, L. 109 22:58
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra
2.	Jeux, ballet, L. 126 17:24
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra
3.	Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, incidental music for solo voices, chorus, & orchestra, L. 124 24:08
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra
4.	Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun), for orchestra, L. 86 10:45
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra
5.	Images (3), for orchestra, L. 122 35:07
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra
6.	Nocturnes, for female chorus & orchestra, L. 91 25:00
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and Montreal Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
7.	Printemps, symphonic suite for chorus, piano & orchestra, L. 61 16:05
	Composed by Claude Debussy
	Conducted by Charles Dutoit
	Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra

Barnes & Noble

Some revolutions are noisy, others are quiet. Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was one of the quietest. A solo flute lazily plays a drooping melody, violins shimmer, and miniature cymbals gently clang. Yet these delicate sounds pointed music in an entirely new direction, just as the hazy brushstrokes of Monet and his Impressionist colleagues did in the realm of painting. Here, along with that sensuous yet earth-shaking Prelude, are all of Debussy's other orchestral masterpieces: the restless seascape of La Mer; a trio of sultry and ethereal Nocturnes; a set of fantastical dances called Images; and finally, the rapturous, playful, and enigmatic Jeux. The performances on this budget-priced two-disc set by Charles Dutoit and the Montréal Symphony are authentically Gallic in their clarity and piquancy, and the sound quality is superb. No single recording can do these masterpieces justice, of course, but this enticing and affordable collection is an ideal place to start. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

This 1999 double-disc of Debussy favorites, performed by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, is a well-balanced compilation of recordings made in 1988 and 1989, with only one of the offerings, Printemps, dating from 1994. For this kind of atmospheric, evocative music, Dutoit is one of the world's foremost interpreters, and his approach to Debussy's orchestral works is lively and vibrant, as demonstrated in his effervescent readings of La mer, Jeux, and Nocturnes. These bright-toned and sprightly accounts are among this set's most memorable highpoints. The performance of Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, however, is possibly the most captivating of the album, not only in feeling completely intuitive and effortless, but also in its radiant colors and sparkling effects, scarcely rivaled anywhere else. The only piece that drags the collection down with its inescapable dullness is Le martyre de saint Sébastien; this suite of orchestral pieces, culled by André Caplet from Debussy's incidental music for Gabriele d'Anunzio's religious play, is stodgy and lifeless; even with Dutoit's and the MSO's best efforts, it comes off as a flat sequence of tedious tableaux. Other than this non-essential filler, this is a solid collection that represents the best of Debussy's orchestral scores in fine, and sometimes magical, performances. Decca's sound is remarkably clear, warm, and natural, and it holds up quite well in comparison with the label's later improvements in digital reproduction. Blair Sanderson