Debussy ~ Michelangeli ~ Des pas sur la neige ~ Preludes, Book 1 No. 6

Michelangeli and Debussy - the two names bring to mind beautiful masterpieces for piano. That is what was produced whenever the master pianist, Michelangeli, sat down at a piano to play Debussy, as he did here in the complete cycle of Debussy's Preludes, Book (Livre) 1, a group of tone poems, along with Book 2, in the form of Preludes for Piano.

The sixth piece, 'Des pas sur la neige' ("Footprints in the Snow") was marked as 'Triste et lente'.

Enjoy!

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• Des
• Pas
• Sur
• La
• Neige
• Footsteps
• Foot
• Steps
• In
• in
• The
• the
• Snow
• snow
• Achille-Claude
• Achille
• Claude
• Debussy
• Preludes
• Book
• One
• No.
• Six
• Arturo
• Benedetti
• Michelangeli
• Piano
• Solo
• Classical
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• Triste
• et
• lent

[n448213]

i have to play this for grade 8 piano :)

[thecosgrove]

@jorgepeterbarton I would have gone with 'icy' rather than 'frozen' for 'glacé' , as in an icy sadness rather than a frozen i.e. still one, but thanks for translating for the non French speakers.

[jorgepeterbarton]

@thecosgrove 'This rhythm must have the sonorous value of…or must evoke…a depth or expanse of countryside, sad and frozen'

[jorgepeterbarton]

@BatesyBatesMusic shame i think most of debussy is often played too fast as well.

this is certainly meant to be Triste et lent.

[BatesyBatesMusic]

Best I've heard it played. Much better than most other players, who take it way too fast. I can't wait till I can play this.

[SeikilosLyre]

I love the slow pacing of his performance-- I feel too many pianists rush this piece-- Michelangeli's approach makes the imagined landscape more alien and isolated...

[thecosgrove]

"Ce rythme doit avoir la valeur sonore dún fond de paysage triste et glacé" is what he wrote under the first bar

*****