Michelangeli - Debussy - Voiles

Michelangeli

[@MaestroTJS]

It's pieces like this that remind me how much of a genius Debussy was. On the whole, his music has too many moments of sentimental, turn-of-the-century Parisian salon music for my liking or sounds aimless, but then he blows my mind with other pieces like this one which I believe will sound modern even in 1000 years.

[@bluesborn]

Such a mysterious vibe reminds me of these old lines from childhood: "How many miles to Babylon? Three score miles and ten. Can I get there by candle-light? Yes, and back again. If your heels are nimble and light, You may get there by candle-light"

[@valerieheinderyckx4506]

Me voilà arrivée au pays où l'on arrive jamais tout à fait... celui des rêves. ❤

[@nathankolbe2233]

the change to the minor pentatonic mode at 2:36 is wonderful, and it bounces right back into the whole tone, but continuing the theme. :)

[@lourie_]

*major pentatonic

[@ChristianBurrola]

@@lourie_ *eb minor pentatonic

[@plekkchand]

@@ChristianBurrola It's a nearly meaningless distinction, as they are the same set of notes, occuring over a pedal which makes any tonal reference indeterminate. And I cannot imagine Debussy caring one whit what anyone called it.

[@ChristianBurrola]

@@plekkchand the pedal is the V and the minor pentatonic is the I. The whole tone scale on Bb is outlining the V7 before the I. Very Stevie Wonder.

[@toneeeeeee]

I close my eyes and see a bay so brightly lit that it creates a veil of light shimmering and blurring my vision creating that ever escaping sense of mystery in the piece. Michelangeli plays this amazingly. One of my Favorites!

[@christianvennemann9008]

For me, this piece gives me the image of a lone sailboat drifting through the thick fog of an early, somewhat cloudy morning at sea.

[@christianvennemann9008]

@Jack MacAulay Good

[@BenBreed-2007synthguy]

Dude same!

[@marctaras9455]

Great interpretation of this Prelude. I like his unhurried tempo and his clarity and phrasing. Everything is beautifully done like an artist's painting only done through sound.

[@joellippert586]

And I love reading (hearing) you all argue about art, below. It makes me smile and feel sad at the same time (like art can), as I wish these were our biggest arguments in this world. Keep up the discourse!

[@ClassicalGuitarBlog]

That's the magic of the whole tone scale. Except for that glorious middle section.

[@charlesmondo650]

he pays the glissandos so well!....mine sound detached and when i play this song , my mom says it doesnt sound like anythig at all.....i hope ill be able to play like him.

[@memesnstreams1790]

Bravo Michalengeli - i really feel the sails in this piece. Good job and live life long. See you next time, let the man coook.

[@Valerio2991]

technique 10 nothing to say... perfection is reached

[@juancillo6064]

... indescribable

[@fel1n0x]

Just... amazing. Really intense.

[@joellippert586]

I'm new to this, and am not a musician myself, but I'm guessing that this piece, at the time it was written and first performed, made Debussy seem like the equivalent to being the one that introduced techo-pop or something in our time - very unusual, non-standard. I can hear the Asian influence as noted in previous comments.

[@22preppy]

actually yes, Im studying it right now, it is based on javanese gamelan. I might not be 100% but im pretty confident there is some sort of connection.

[@hongyiqian8616]

It's the texture that was influenced by gamelan where the lowest motive lingers around as the largest gans, middle layer plays in duple and the top was in triple, which inmates the smaller gans. the scale itself was a whole tone scale

[@yaldabaoth9235]

"asian influence" lol there's no asian influence it sounds asian because its in pentatonic scale.

[@bsmusicd]

Debussy heard Javanese gamelan at the World's Fair and was profoundly influenced.

[@opalicfractalia]

@@hongyiqian8616 I'm *very* late but I wanted to point this out anyway: the scale itself is a direct result of Debussy's exposure to gamelan. The whole tone scale (6 tones per octave) is the closest we can get in our Western tuning to the slendro gamelan scale (5 tones per octave), which Debussy indeed heard in 1889. You can hear a pretty good MIDI example on Wikipedia, searching for "slendro", which puts the two scales side by side. So yeah, Debussy's textures are very, very influenced by gamelan, but so was his "tonality" :)

[@cristiangoncalves2353]

Maravilloso, música de los sueños y la imaginación...

[@BeauJames59]

If you like this, I encourage you to get all 24 (2 books of 12) Preludes, there's a whole universe of music in 'em.....

[@Lillars]

Jamais entendu des tierces aussi douces...

[@plsdontcampmytopcausehesac7402]

Ganz großes Kino

[@Brennen000]

Absolutely brilliant...

[@coolcat1813]

deep. i am loving it

[@katiemcgrath959]

dude why is this guy wearing clothes like he's from star wars 3 all he needs is a robe

[@eblackbrook]

Because it's the 70's and he's Italian.

[@firephilosopher7645]

because the force is strong with this one

[@BenBreed-2007synthguy]

@@eblackbrook Highly true! LOL

[@Jeroen3]

Beautiful thank you...😀🌍❤️✨🐢🙏

[@TheShredworthy]

Many interpretations of this piece are too fast in my opinion., but Michelangeli is the best interpreter of Debussy's music. Some of the best music I have ever had the privilege to hear in my whole life. Any recommendations of CDs of his glorious playing?

[@degreplayspiano]

Michelangeli recorded complete Debussy's Preludes (2 books), Images (2 series) and Children's corner. For me is one of the best recordings in the entire history of music. There are also live recordings, amazing too.

[@afridgetoofar1818]

I prefer Paul Jacobs

[@gallowswood]

@petezilla I think his outfit is awesome!

[@claymore2761]

Double king

[@LionelStefan]

C'est ... superbe

[@-greenpiece-5295]

badbadnotgood brought me here

[@Nattfodd88]

Same here Dog

[@a3886]

yeah i know that's what i was referencing, the wikipedia article i was at mentioned that that intro had bits which were in reference to this piece or whatever and i had never heard the piece so i came to listen to it and i immediately heard the connection

[@pascaljoube3149]

Great !

[@bilda2]

@ClassicalGuitarBlog wow your so genius you can identify types of scales

[@suwandigoh2323]

Thanks for uploading!

[@Mr-Prasguerman]

Double King

[@Sviolinist]

It says without rigor, if you want to translate the Latin routes directly. Rigor implies sternness (of tempo) which this piece shouldn't have. That's why it's in the TEMPO MARKING. Caressant translates more directly to "cherishing" - which I interpret as "caring" - it's the same thing. Your cares fade as you sail. Debussy is telling you that when you are lost on the water, time is different. This isn't emotion. It's sailing. You should imagine what it's like to sail the Seine with Debussy.

[@tongbunsing]

Great VDO

[@a3886]

woah i came here because of the wikipedia article on kind of blue and you can hear so much of bill evans in this intro (actually i guess it's you can hear so much of this intro in bill evans)

[@cancakmur]

wonderful

[@Lillars]

On sait que ça existe, et pourtant, quand on le voit, on a du mal à y croire... Stupéfiant !

[@SaraElizabethMusic]

@ClassicalGuitarBlog the middle section is pentatonic i believe

[@AdamCantor]

whole tone scale ;)

[@shin-i-chikozima]

In the movement of flowing flexible fingers and the tone of a gentle piano ,it becomes the dreaminess . From Tokyo in the dizzying Megalopolis ablaze with numerous neon lights Which national are you watching this video ？

[@mccreeper03]

Why does his appearance resemble litzt

[@VladyslavKL]

🕊️

[@BeauJames59]

....if I may, listen (look if you can) to the opening piano noodling on "So What", it's those moving blocks chords straight outta Debussy..............

[@honchunfung]

@cannelloni99 I think it's a D-flat SP

[@alvaromarroquin3046]

que bello cosplay de chuerk

[@user-mg4vu1bg7k]

why franz is playing voiles?

[@Hettbone1]

Jerry! Hello!

[@2fat2die]

@FRENZ1993 Yes, he´s indeed as genius as i am ;)

[@MaestroTJS]

@NewComposer01 Actually, I still like Clair de lune despite its popularity--I do think it's that good. But I find many other pieces by him just a little too sugary, like he's selling out, or, in other cases, lacking in identifiable forms, though the latter point is probably more just that I prefer forms and patterns to dream-like effusions, usually.

[@sandia2beaumont]

I disagree about the sugary aspect , we should keep in mind that Debussy needed to travel a very long road to get to music like this. If some of the other pieces sound sugary, it might also be because they have been over interpreted again and again and again

[@homomilleumbrae]

Actually this is not as formless as you think , after repeated listnings you ll understand

[@looney1023]

@honchunfung e flat minor pentatonic.

[@honchunfung]

@cannelloni99 Gb Penta

[@fabiolima4060]

Sans rigueur. Yeah, teach them!

[@jarmtl]

Obviously, you know exactly how the man wanted that piece to be played. Are you his friend?

[@alextadeo97]

ev

[@oberon06]

this piece sounds like a bad dream, its so obscure. i like other pieces by debussey but this one is just bit too weird for me

[@joeyblogsy]

Surreal dream

[@112Allegro]

When I first heard someone play Voiles about 40 years ago, I thought it sounded rather obscure too. But now I livr the piece and am learning it myself!

[@roccyrapture4684]

Debussin

[@florenzblueice]

Neither major nor minor, whole tone scale. There's alot of space for interpretation, the music is very misty.

[@petezilla]

Compare with Gieseking's RADICALLY different, and I think my still favorite interpretation. This version is great, of course, even though he's wearing that silly shirt-belt.

[@cubicle880630]

full of imagination....

[@Sherpaful]

Pretty good, but I still like Paul Jacobs better

[@Sviolinist]

Obviously you don't read French.. a danse without care translates to strict tempo for you? what are you, mad? Read the score sometime!

[@marleeshore1387]

Corny music joke sorry :/

[@2fat2die]

@FRENZ1993 Yes, he´s indeed as genius as i am ;)