This is a remarkable album, a shining beacon in the ever-weighty catalogue of Debussy piano collections. Not only a fantastic choice in terms of the music but a sublime performance from the ever-reliable Hamelin.
This album truly cements Hamelin’s reputation as the first man of French classical music. Passionate, meaningful and perfectly phrased, every piece tells a story and the powerful imagery of Debussy’s creations truly come alive. Whimsical and melancholic, it seems an album created to represent the dying natural world of autumn.
So play it in the autumn, but play it for the rest of the year too because it truly is a recording of beauty.
‘Debussy Images & Préludes II’
Marc-André Hamelin
5 stars out of 5
