Krystian Zimerman - Debussy: Preludes (1994)

This award winning set from 1991 will not be to everyone's tastes. The recording and the playing are perfectly suited to each other being exceptionally clear and precise and with wide dynamic range.

The playing on this pair of discs is, as mentioned above, exceptionally clear and precise and came as quite shock to me when I bought it some 20 years ago. Everything is laid out for inspection without the slightest hint of softness or textural shading. It is like going into a room with all the main lights on rather than finding the room lit by numerous lamps on tables and other furniture. There are no subtleties of nuance attempted in the normal way allowing for shadows and half-lights metaphorically.

In addition, the dynamic range is wide with the fortissimos verging on the aggressive. The winds in 'le vent dans la plaine' (no. 3) or 'Ce que a vu le vent d'ouest' (no. 7) for example might as well feature thunderstorms at times of greatest impact. Throughout both discs one is made very much aware that the piano is a percussion instrument with considerable percussive powers. Speeds are are also tackled in the same way.

In Zimerman's defence I would suggest that Debussy himself may have given the lead as regards such a strong approach to the wide dynamic and tempi range. For example, his own guidelines as regards the performance of 'La puerto del vino' from the second book is that is to be played 'with brusque oppositions of extreme violence and passionate tenderness.' It is most unlikely that any composer suggesting such playing anywhere within a set would consider it as an isolated incidence of such an approach. It is more likely to be indicative of a general and overall approach to interpreting the whole set. Debussy may not be the shrinking violet that some interpreters can make him out to be and Zimerman may be nearer Debussy's ideal than some may suppose.

Therefore, if parts of this review sound rather negative, I would counter that by adding that this is among the most exciting Debussy playing that I have ever heard and as such it remains exceedingly rewarding in its own unique way. This is certainly far from the world of Bavouzet's award winning series which I would suggest is a far safer bet. However, there is no denying the power and force of Zimerman's vision and all the notes are there as written by Debussy on the page. What is missing is what is not written and Zimerman's view would no doubt be that what is not written should not be played!

I would suggest that this set would best be considered as an alternative second set for collectors. Heard on its own terms it is an extraordinarily effective set and one I would not wish to be without. However, Bavouzet remains a much safer bet for limited collections.