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Decca has repackaged its famous LP series, 'The World of . . . ', for the CD age; but whereas the previous incarnation usually brought prospective purchasers a collection of representative complete pieces, now the trend is towards movements culled from their home, … la Classic FM. Reason enough to dismiss the enterprise out of hand, you might think. And it is tempting to get on one's high horse and do just that. Except, of course, that all listeners have to start somewhere, and who knows where that might be. At an appealing price this compilation does give an intelligently chosen selection of key works by Debussy, in performances which sound splendid and are given by major artists.

It's all a matter of who will enjoy less than the complete pieces. Had Debussy wanted these movements to be played separately, he would have written them as individual works . . . .

That said, there are some distinguished performances here, and of complete pieces too. Ashkenazy's Cleveland performance of the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune is particularly atmospheric and satisfying, and the finale of La Mer is exciting, though half the point is lost since the culmination of the piece derives from material which had originated in the first movement, which does not feature here. The worst problem of this kind is the extract from Ibéria, Le matin d'un jour de fête, which doesn't work well at all as just a small chunk, even if the Montreal Orchestra is on top form.

The generally recent recordings all sound well, and even the odd one out from the early sixties remains thoroughly satisfactory. This is the finale of the Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, taken from a famous interpretation by the Melos Ensemble.

Pascal Rogé gives intelligent, shapely accounts of three Préludes and Claire de lune, while the Labèque Sisters are on quite marvellous form in the piano duet version of the early Petite Suite. Make no mistake, there are fine things to be found among this compilation.

Terry Barfoot

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