Complete Debussy CD sets

[Serial_Apologist]

He is one of my favorite Composers, but not for his juvenilia

Could have been me saying that.

[Conchis]

I don’t know what the attraction is, or why there should be an obsession with, owning a recording of everything that Debussy ever composed. A lot of his early music is worth hearing once, if at all. This is one area where streaming is useful. If I haven an irresistible urge to hear the Debussy Piano Trio (not likely), Apple Music saves a lot of shelf space

I can see the appeal of having EVERYTHING someone wrote/composed in one neat package. I have almost everything that Wagner wrote - the esception being the third-rate stuff he composed purely for money (and for which he was better-rewarded than for anything that made his reputation).

[silvestrione]

A question for Debussy enthusiasts, then.

I know (and love) all the piano music, La Mer, Images, the Prelude, Nocturnes, Jeux, the opera, the three late sonatas. I've tried the music for the Martyrdom of St Sebastian. Is there any quintessential, unmissable Debussy apart from all these? A serious question, in case I'm missing something. (Oh, I'm not a great one for songs, but would try again if there was a very strong recommendation for a particular group)

[richardfinegold]

A question for Debussy enthusiasts, then.

I know (and love) all the piano music, La Mer, Images, the Prelude, Nocturnes, Jeux, the opera, the three late sonatas. I've tried the music for the Martyrdom of St Sebastian. Is there any quintessential, unmissable Debussy apart from all these? A serious question, in case I'm missing something. (Oh, I'm not a great one for songs, but would try again if there was a very strong recommendation for a particular group)

I enjoy the saxophone rhapsody, but the one truly great piece missing from your list imo are Two Sacred and Profane Dances for Harp and String Orchestra

[Rolmill]

A question for Debussy enthusiasts, then.

I know (and love) all the piano music, La Mer, Images, the Prelude, Nocturnes, Jeux, the opera, the three late sonatas. I've tried the music for the Martyrdom of St Sebastian. Is there any quintessential, unmissable Debussy apart from all these? A serious question, in case I'm missing something. (Oh, I'm not a great one for songs, but would try again if there was a very strong recommendation for a particular group)

Agree with rfg's Sacred & Profane Dances recommendation, and would add the rhapsody for clarinet & orchestra and the string quartet. Also, not songs as such, but the trois chansons for choir are delightful (both to sing and to listen to).

[Alain Maréchal]

I know (and love) all the piano music, La Mer, Images, the Prelude, Nocturnes, Jeux, the opera, the three late sonatas. I've tried the music for the Martyrdom of St Sebastian. Is there any quintessential, unmissable Debussy apart from all these? A serious question, in case I'm missing something. (Oh, I'm not a great one for songs, but would try again if there was a very strong recommendation for a particular group)

The quartet for strings is the obvious answer.

[richardfinegold]

The quartet for strings is the obvious answer.

Absolutely. That and Sonata for Flute Viola and Harp still sound very original today

[kea]

I enjoy the saxophone rhapsody, but the one truly great piece missing from your list imo are Two Sacred and Profane Dances for Harp and String Orchestra

Agree.... and Khamma, which I'd also consider essential even if the orchestration is not by Debussy. (But he did supervise it and presumably approve of it.)

[silvestrione]

Thanks for these recommendations, which I shall enjoy following up. I should have mentioned the String Quartet, I suppose, which was my first Debussy-enthusiasm, and now sounds a little hackneyed to my ears (an over-played LP years ago).

[vinteuil]

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... I suspect I shall end up getting the sony and the dg - to add to the many inches of de Bussy on the shelves...


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[Serial_Apologist]

Agree.... and Khamma, which I'd also consider essential even if the orchestration is not by Debussy. (But he did supervise it and presumably approve of it.)

My feeling is that Koechlin almost out-Debussied Debussy in his wonderful orchestrations for this work - a strangely uneven composer was Koechlin: at his best brilliant, but often he was less good as an interior designer than in his choice of colours.

[BBMmk2]

My feeling is that Koechlin almost out-Debussied Debussy in his wonderful orchestrations for this work - a strangely uneven composer was Koechlin: at his best brilliant, but often he was less good as an interior designer than in his choice of colours.

I rather like those Jungle settings he did.

[Serial_Apologist]

I rather like those Jungle settings he did.

They veer all over the place, don't they, Bbm! I like "Les Bandar Log" the best of them, which includes as far as I know the first 12-tone music written by any French composer. Koechlin is said to have detested 12-tone serialism, thinking of it as creatively restrictive, and he had his monkeys writing 12-tone exercises, trying to prove just how clever they were but weren't; however this is one of the most impressive passages of any music Koechlin ever composed!!!

[BBMmk2]

They veer all over the place, don't they, Bbm! I like "Les Bandar Log" the best of them, which includes as far as I know the first 12-tone music written by any French composer. Koechlin is said to have detested 12-tone serialism, thinking of it as creatively restrictive, and he had his monkeys writing 12-tone exercises, trying to prove just how clever they were but weren't; however this is one of the most impressive passages of any music Koechlin ever composed!!!

Concur! My favourite too!

[Bryn]

I think the Warner has a good few alternative recordings of some works. I also note that while DG have available a recording of the recited Chasons de Bilitis with Catherine Deneuve and Ensemble Wien-Berlin. Neither seems to be mentioned among the performers represented.

Now that the DG Debussy (in)complete works box has arrived I can confirm that they have indeed not bothered to include their recording of Chansons de Bilitis (Catherine Deneuve, Ensemble Wein-Berlin). Fortunately I already have the single disc issue. Decidedly remiss of DG to exclude this recording, and the other Debussy recordings on the disc.