Pianist Dávid Báll follows his Pure DSD 256 Stereo recording of Grosses Konzertsolo with a new Live to Pure DSD 256 Stereo recording featuring Debussy Preludes, L123, Book II. It is exclusively available at NativeDSD in its original recorded format of Pure DSD 256 Stereo, as well as Pure Stereo DSD 512, DSD 128, and DSD 64. It is not available on SACD.

David Ball says “Few of Claude Debussy’s Preludes form part of the established piano repertoire – and the first volume (published in 1910) and second volume (published in 1913) are rarely heard in their entirety. Yet the bleak, gloomy, melancholic pieces of the second volume in particular speak to me so deeply that I play them as part of my concerts quite often, and so I have chosen to record them first. Ways of performing the works of French impressionist composers vary widely, and this is especially true of the last third of the twentieth century and indeed our own time. In my view, all too often the artists’ desire for self-expression occludes that of the composer almost entirely.

Happily, recordings of luminaries such as Béla Bartók, Ernő Dohnányi, and Sergei Rachmaninoff playing their own music survive, and I have found myself going back to them because they offer much more than the opportunity to study the performing arts and recording practices of the time. For example, while Debussy’s notation is meticulous, the contrast between his restraint in pedal markings and the freedom of his performance is striking: He only asks for the use of the pedal – and for two measures only – in the first of the twelve Preludes that constitute the second volume. Of course, this relationship is endlessly complex and ultimately unfathomable, but that is not the point. Rather by examining it, we have the chance to see and hear the music afresh, challenge our assumptions, and reflect our respect for the composer’s own performance by choosing to cleave to their recording over their manuscript when there is a clear choice to be made. That is the approach I have taken in the interpretations I offer here.

The unique beauty, clarity, and infinite depth of these pieces has captivated so many generations already – and I hope that this recording of his music will continue the work that Debussy began.”

Featured in blog post Notes on Recent Finds, No. 9 – Endless Bounty from NativeDSD by music reviewer Rushton Paul.

Dávid Báll, Pianist