“Pagodes” from Estampes, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) / André Caplet (1878-1925)

Описание: Claude Debussy was the leading French composer of his time, and is usually described as a composer in the "impressionist" style. Impressionist art is a style in which the artist would quickly paint an “impression” of a scene, hasting to capture a fleeting moment. Famous impressionist painters include Monet and Renoir. Meanwhile, painters and musicians of that era were also fascinated by art coming in from the Far East.

These were the two heavy influences in Debussy’s Pagodes, a work originally part of Estampes, a set of three piano works. Inspired by the Javanese gamelan music he heard at the great international exhibition of 1899 in Paris, Debussy recreated some aspects of the “oriental style” including gong-like open fifths, the Javanese pentatonic “slendro” scale, and rhythmic ostinatos. This he utilized while still applying the rich, transparent texture typical of impressionistic works.
He also painted the image of a Pagoda with his melodic line. A pagoda is a tiered tower found in many East Asian countries such as China, Japan and Vietnam, and typically has a religious function. The beginning of the piece is full of gentle, sloping, ‘up-and-down’ figures, mimicking the characteristic sloping shape of a Pagoda’s roof. The work performed tonight was orchestrated by André Caplet.

Performed at "Asyatika" on Oct. 19, 2019.

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