If you wanted to locate
Simon Trpceski's interpretations of the piano music of
Claude Debussy, look on the musical map between late Romanticism and early Impressionism. The Macedonian pianist and exclusive EMI artist plays the French fin de siècle composer's music with terrific sensitivity, virtuosity, and tons of sensuality. Imagine
Pollini's perfect technique coupled with
Rubinstein's tone and
Horowitz's sense of drama and you'll have some idea what to expect.
Trpceski's tempos are supple, his touch brilliant, his colors lavish, his chords sonorous, and his interpretations always aimed at the ultimate climax. This approach is arguably wholly appropriate for the rapturous Arabesques and Clair de lune, and possibly for the ecstatic L'isle joyeuse, but surely less so for the affectionate irony of Children's Corner or the cool luminosity of the Images. Still, the concentrated intensity of
Trpceski's performance and the uncompromising commitment of his interpretations make his
Debussy hard to dismiss. So, though these performances may prove provocative and ultimately unacceptable for some listeners, for other, maybe most, listeners, they may prove all the more compelling. Produced by John Fraser, the digital sound here is ravishing.