Track Listing

1. �tudes (12) for piano in 2 books, L. 136: No.5, Etude in octaves
2. Pr�ludes (12) for piano, Book II, L. 123: No.7, Terrace for Moonlight Audiences
3. Clair de lune, for piano (Suite Bergamasque No. 3), L. 75/3
4. La plus que lente, waltz for piano (or orchestra), L. 121
5. Estampes, for piano, L. 100: No.3, Gardens in the rain
6. R�verie, for piano, L. 68
7. Images (3), for piano, Set I, L. 110: No.1, Refection in the water
8. Pr�ludes (12) for piano, Book II, L. 123: No.12, Fireworks
9. Pr�ludes (12) for piano, Book I, L. 117: No.8, Le fille aux cheveux de lin
10. Estampes, for piano, L. 100: No.2, Evening in Grenada
11. L'isle joyeuse, for piano, L. 106
12. Pavane pour une infante d�funte, for piano (or orchestra)
13. Le tombeau de Couperin, for piano: No.6, Toccata

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22258 in Music
• Brand: RCA
• Released on: 1999-11-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

Cliburn's Debussy and Ravel
This beautiful and transporting CD is a "rainy day" favorite of mine. Van Cliburn has created a gorgeous, shimmering watercolor for his listeners' ears. In May of 1998, I heard Maestro Cliburn play many of these works in recital. The two hour recital was sold out and I don't recall hearing a single cough, a rustle of paper or squeak of a chair - we were all completely riveted, completely absorbed in the mood and the music. Maestro Cliburn's gossamer arpeggios in "Reflets dan l'eau" are so liquid, so seamless, one envisions water rippling on a stream; and his sensitive and melancholy "Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is the most beautiful and heart-felt interpretation of this piece that I have heard. Mr. Cliburn makes these pieces look absolutely effortless, yet they are among the most difficult in piano repertoire. I look upon each of these tracks as a mini-masterpiece. No one plays the Impressionists with the sensitivity, the poetry of Van Cliburn. Although the overall mood is one of melancholy, Cliburn never lets the music become too sweet. In fact, just as Maestro Cliburn's beautiful music lulls one into a sleepy reverie, his powerful and spine-chilling keyboard run in Debussy's "Fireworks" catapults one right of it - a playful "Gotcha!" from one of the truly Great Pianists.

Romantic Impressions
When one thinks of Van Cliburn one usually thinks of the power of Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky. Fortunately, this beautifully remasterd collection of impressionistic pieces from Debussy and Ravel done in the 1970's gives us a look at a different side of his virtuosity. The power is there but tempered in a beautiful way. The dynamics are more sensitive than I have heard before and so I'm hearing new views of this music. I purchased this out of curiosity, and the music is not my favorite, but it is wonderfully executed and not cloying as these pieces are sometimes played. I would highly recommend this recording.

Van Cliburn at his best.
As a lover of Debussy's music, I've had a hard time finding recordings that I liked, or that I thought did justice to his work. This album, for me, stands above the rest. Mr. Cliburn gives the best performance of "Clair de Lune" I've ever heard (which is the piece most people will recognize). Others that stood out for me were "Reverie" and "Reflections In the Water." This is a first-class album. It sounds wonderful, with breathtaking performances by a true virtuosic genius.