Having
so recently worked my way through the entire Thiollier cycle
I suppose I might have been forgiven for reviewing this sampler
disc from memory. But I did listen to it. I wondered if hearing
the performances in another context would change my reactions
to some of them.
I
don’t think so. I enjoyed once again the ravishing beauty of
Clair de lune and several other early pieces such as
the First Arabesque and the Revêrie. I was glad
to be reminded that La cathédrale engloutie has some
unusual tempo relationships which may derive from Debussy’s
own piano roll recording.
I
also got the idea that some of Thiollier’s more personal rubatos
may not wear too well – I am thinking of Reflets dans l’eau
– but I enjoyed again his gently glistening sound. Less
happily, I still find Thiollier pulls the dance-based pieces
like the Valse romantique and the Mazurka around
too much.
But
I fail to see the point of this anthology. The disc does give
an honest picture of Thiollier’s strengths and weaknesses, but
it would have been far more useful to assemble his best performances,
of which there are more than enough to fill a single CD. By
careful selection you could put together a disc of magically
fine Debussy-playing. Such a CD would have been a worthwhile
proposition for people already well-equipped with Debussy but
who might like to have at least some Thiollier.
And
yet, even if the idea was to present a portrait of Debussy as
a piano composer, I find the selection odd. Would people limiting
themselves to a single disc of Debussy want to bother with
the Valse romantique or the Mazurka? No, quite
frankly I think that at the Naxos price most people could stretch
to the complete cycle. If you want to pick and choose, then
go for Volume 1, where the earliest pieces are mostly brought
off with real magic. Or Volume 4 which would be a good version
of the Préludes at any price. Or Volume 2 which has La
boîte à joujoux and the solo version of Epigraphes antiques,
works not always included in Debussy cycles.
Christopher
Howell
Other
reviews of this series:
Volume
1
Volume
2
Volume
3
Volume
4
Volume
5
François-Joël
Thiollier (piano) 
