Debussy: Petite Suite | Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin & François Leleux

Описание: Sometimes distance is what allows a return to oneself and one’s culture. Claude Debussy composed his four-part "Petite Suite"—now a touchstone of French music—after years spent abroad. Between 1880 and 1887, he lived largely outside France, including periods in Russia, Italy and Switzerland. Back in Paris, he began shaping the work that would become the "Petite Suite." Two years later, in 1889, the piece — originally written for piano four hands — was published by Durand. At the premiere, Claude Debussy performed at the keyboard alongside the publisher’s son, Jacques Durand.

(00:00) I. En bateau (Sailing): Andantino
(04:00) II. Cortège (Retinue): Moderato
(07:40) III. Menuet: Moderato
(10:45) IV. Ballet: Allegro giusto

Seemingly simple harmonies flow with verve and elegance. Dance-like rhythms offset an undercurrent of emotional depth and gentle melancholy, recalling Mozart, whom Debussy admired. The "Petite Suite" quickly gained popularity, and in the following decades was arranged for various ensembles, including a version by the French-Swiss composer and educator Henry Büsser.

It's this arrangement that conductor and oboist François Leleux chose for his concert with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. The performance took place on July 12, 2025, as part of the Kissinger Sommer music festival in the Max Littmann Hall in Bad Kissingen. The spa town of Bad Kissingen was once a magnet for the world’s cultural elite. "Kissingen was visited by all the great Italian composers — Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo," says Alexander Steinbeiss, artistic director of the summer classical music festival in southern Germany.

Bad Kissingen also owes its renown to the imposing Regentenbau, home to the Max Littmann Hall, considered one of Europe’s finest concert venues. Commissioned by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria at the beginning of the 20th century and inaugurated in 1913, the building was designed by Munich architect Bernhard Max Littmann, who set out to create the most beautiful and modern concert hall in the world. Its chief rival was Carnegie Hall in New York, which had opened in 1891. "With the Max Littmann Hall, we have one of the greatest concert halls in the world," Steinbeiss told DW.

François Leleux is a French conductor and oboist with an active international career. Born in Croix in 1971, he studied oboe at the conservatories of Roubaix and Paris. At eighteen, he was appointed principal oboist of the Opéra de Paris (Bastille). He has since appeared worldwide as a soloist, conductor, and chamber musician. As a guest conductor, he has worked with ensembles such as the Bamberg Symphony, the Dresden Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal.

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin was founded in 1946 as the RIAS Symphony Orchestra and soon established itself as a leading ensemble for both classical and contemporary repertoire. Renamed the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin in 1956, it has carried its current name since 1993. Its principal conductors have included Ferenc Fricsay, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Kent Nagano and Robin Ticciati. Kazuki Yamada is set to assume the role of artistic director in autumn 2026.

Text: Anastassia Boutsko

© 2025 Kissinger Sommer

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