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John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc Posted by tony flynn on May 8, 2007, 8:38 pm 195.195.201.2 I write to applaud John Quinn's positive reaction to this exciting new disc including Colin Matthews wonderfully imaginative orchestral arrangement/reworking - call it what you like - of Debussy's Preludes. My CD collection includes many different types of arrangements: Brahms piano reductions of his orchestral and chamber works, the Liszt piano versions of Beethoven Symphonies and the Barshai versions of the Shostakovich quartets etc. Listening to great music in alternative ways only serves to illuminate my listening pleasure, forcing me to return to the pieces in their original format, as John suggested in his excellent review. I always listen to this new version of the Preludes in one go, as it makes a most satisfying entity. I agree with John that the decision to link the final 2 together was masterful, with the final piece sounding like a Mahler adagio - whatever, I was almost moved to tears by it. I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves music. One final point: are there pieces which are almost impossible to orchestrate - what about Beethoven's Op 111?  Post a Response

Re: John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc Posted by John Quinn on May 9, 2007, 2:28 pm, in reply to "John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc" 71.98.219.39 John, thank you for your kind comments on my review. Though I didn't comment on this aspect in my review I share your view that the arrangements make a very satisfying sequence, as presented on disc. I'm sure you'll be pleased to learn that I've discovered since submitting my review that Colin Matthews' orchestral arrangements of the other 12 preludes are to be recorded next month. That's a disc that I, for one, will be anticipating keenly.  Post a Response

Re: John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc Posted by Dominy Clements on May 14, 2007, 4:17 pm, in reply to "John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc" 82.170.3.187 I would argue that there is no such thing as a piano piece which cannot be orchestrated. In fact, the more richly written for piano a work is, the more possibilities there are for finding orchestral solutions. 'Simpler' stuff is often harder to do effectively, and works like Des pas sur la neige by Debussy, or Arvo Part's Spiegel im Spiegel create their own problems!  Post a Response

Re: John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc Posted by Tony Haywood on May 14, 2007, 7:51 pm, in reply to "Re: John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc" 81.158.8.191 I would agree, and in fact the Debussy Preludes, along with some of Schoenberg's Klavierstucke and, yes, Beethoven's Op.111 are among regular contenders for student orchestration exercises at my college.  Post a Response

Re: John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc Posted by Paul Serotsky on May 16, 2007, 1:52 pm, in reply to "Re: John Quinn's review of Debussy/Matthews disc" 80.229.144.169 I heard one extract from Matthews's arrangements on the radio, and loved it - it so took me that I almost forgave Matthews for sabotaging the end of "The Planets"! Bolstered by John's glowing report, I wasted no time in ordering the CD. Dominy's comment put me in mind of Rimsky-Korsakov's opinion, that Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" was "untranslatable into any other medium". I can see RK's point, but I don't believe that his words - or, more likely, their translation! - convey it accurately. I would go so far as to suggest this: It isn't a question of possibility. Any piece of music, written for whatever forces, can be arranged for any other forces that you care to dream up (anyone prepared to have a bash at rendering Brian's "Gothic Symphony" for pan-pipes and double-bass?). The real question is, can it be done effectively and meaningfully?  Post a Response

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