| 20 NOV 2020 D IV E R TISSEM ENT: AN EV ENING OF FR ENC H M U SIC
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918) Clair de lune (1905 / arr. André Caplet, 1911) The Clair de lune is possibly Debussy’s most famous piece of music, and, in this orchestration by André Caplet, is cast in a very different light from the piano piece it originally is. Clair de lune, meaning “light of the moon” is based on the poem of the same name by the celebrated French poet, Paul Verlaine. Debussy’s use of colour, light, and shadow, only hinted at in the delicate piano figurations, is given full weight by Caplet’s lush orchestration. Imaginative touches in the instrumentation (especially the use of pizzicato viola and the solo violin in the reprise) betray a master’s hand, and indeed Caplet was well-known as a composer in his own right in the early 20th century, though he is today largely forgotten. Debussy and Ravel are often lumped together in music history classes as being “Impressionists”. Debussy’s association with the term stemmed from the period after his initial Wagner obsession, when he disavowed “Germanic” chromatic harmony (along with its eschatological and philosophical concerns) to break away with his own ideas. But even that is an oversimplification, because it is possible to trace much of Debussy’s inspiration to Erik Satie and what he saw as a rivalry with Ravel.
Water Lilies and Reflections of a Willow (1916–1919) by Claude Monet Instrumentation 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, harp, strings First performed by SSO 18 Apr 1987 18