ドビュッシー: 最後の3つのソナタ集

ドビュッシーの「最後の3つのソナタ集」
豪華演奏者陣による決定的名盤の1枚

ハルモニア・ムンディがドビュッシー没後100周年にあわせてリリースした「最後のソナタ集」(HMM-902303/廃盤)が再登場。豪華演奏者陣がそろった名盤です。

ドビュッシーは晩年様々な楽器のための6つのソナタを作曲しようと考えていましたが、実際にはここに収録された3作を書き上げた翌年に亡くなってしまいます。この計画の最後となったのは、ヴァイオリン・ソナタでしたが、これはドビュッシーの文字通り最後の作品となりました。冒頭でメルニコフが奏でる繊細きわまりない和音から一気に世界に引き込まれます。ファウストの演奏は、独特のミステリアスでかわいたような空気を漂わせつつも、非常にきめこまやかな表情づけで、一音一音、休符までも聴きの逃してはならぬ、と思わせられる演奏です。ドビュッシーの晩年の作品世界の多様性に、名手たちのきめこまかな演奏によってあらためて感じ入る1枚となっております。
HARMONIA MUNDI

Marking the centennial of Claude Debussy's death, Harmonia Mundi has steadily released multiple volumes in a 2018 series of his complete works, freshly recorded by some of the label's leading artists. Debussy: Les Trois Sonates - The Late Works, like previous titles in the acclaimed series, is presented in a handsome trim-line box, though this release contains only a single CD and a thin booklet, so it is a bit over-packaged. However, the evocative performances of the Sonata for violin and piano, the Sonata for flute, viola, and harp, and the Sonata for cello and piano make the purchase worthwhile, and connoisseurs will regard this as one of the most sublime Debussy releases of the year. Featuring violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov in the Violin Sonata, Debussy's last completed work; flutist Magali Mosnier, violist Antoine Tamestit, and harpist Xavier de Maistre in the Sonata for flute, viola, and harp; and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and pianist Javier Perianes in the Cello Sonata, the program boasts artists of exceptional artistry and expressive depth, all ideally suited to these refined and sometimes rarefied works. Interspersed between the chamber compositions are four keyboard works, performed by Tanguy de Williencourt in somewhat introspective readings that complement the more conversational ensemble pieces, though in Debussy's music, the emphasis on atmosphere tends to make everything seem reflective and intimate. The recorded sound is clean and transparent, which is ideal for capturing subtle nuances in quiet passages.