Stephen Porter: The World Of Claude Debussy
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-10-17/stephen-porter-world-claude-debussy
(Stephen Porter)
Classical composer Claude Debussy was born to a working class French family in 1862. A child prodigy, Debussy entered the Paris conservatory at age 10. He challenged the musical orthodoxy of his teachers there, choosing unusual harmonies that were widely frowned upon. His 24 preludes were revolutionary and reflected the Impressionist movement swirling around him. And a visit to the Paris World's Fair exposed Debussy to music from Japan and India. This experience profoundly influenced his compositions. Diane discusses the music of Claude Debussy with American classical pianist Stephen Porter.
Guests
Stephen Porter
American classical pianist
Related Items
Music Clips
Listen to Stephen Porter play some of Claude Debussy's compositions:
La Terrasse des Audiences du Clair de Lune (The Terrace for Moonlight Audiences)
Voiles (Sails)
Canope (Egyptian Funerary Urn Cover)
Comments
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I LOVE Claude Debussy. His music is haunting, unusual, and yes, a bit radical! I love it!
My favorites of Debussy's are "Clair De Lune" and "Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun".
Porter is very talented.
Clair de Lune is a fantastic piece.
Another astounding piece comes to mind, "The Engulfed Cathedral":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sFTiYsVJGg
I have been taking a few years of adult ballet and I hear a lot of Debussy's music being played. After Mr. Porter said his music tells a story, it just seems so right with Ballet because the dance expresses a story.
The last caller mentioned DeBbssy's influence in modern Video-Game Japanese music, which might be influenced directly by Debussy, but may have also been influenced by the music of Trevor Horn.
For us who grew up in the eighties, Trevor Horn, as musician and producer, was perhaps one of the most influential artist of the time.
And one of his Inspirations was Claude Debussy. Many of his pieces have either obviously overt or covert references to Debussy.
http://www.theartofnoiseonline.com/Z999-CLASSICAL-NOISE.php
Thank you, Diane, for this wonderful program - a true antidote for the current high voltage political environment. I just visited an exposition in Paris on Van Gogh and Hiroshige - the influence of Japan on his work. It is striking that Van Gogh and many other artists of the pre-WWI era had a similar fascination with Japan and the East. They were looking for a fresh approach to creativity and the serenity they experienced in viewing this art. Artists for me are like cultural "canaries" sensing future developments such as the coming of WWI and the dissolution of European cultural and political order. They saw the need for a departure from current artistic approaches to open up new opportunities for artistic innovation as well as a desire for tranquillity in the face of growing European political/social dysfunction. You might want to consider a discussion of the role of artists in sensing future directions not only in the arts but political and social change. The sixties present more recent examples.
Thanks again,
Kathy Krause
I turned on the show while "La Terrasse des Audiences du Clair de Lune" was playing. I didn't recognize this as Debussy but it immediately made me feel weightless. Then once Diane and Stephen started speaking and I realized this was Debussy I thought, "Of course that was Debussy!" He became my favorite composer when I started learning "Claire de Lune" in 8th grade. Sadly, I am only familiar with a handful of his pieces. I am a case in point about what Mr. Porter was speaking about how he deserves more recognition. Even as my favorite composer I haven't given him the thought and study he deserves from a "fan."
I have one more comment about my experience with this wonderful master. My freshman year in college I was studying piano performance seriously for the first time in my life. Granted, I was only at a community college but I grew so much relatively. Anyway, my piano instructor had decided to have me learn "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" and I played it for an inter-community college piano competition. I was definitely not the most skilled technically in the group. Not even close. However, I won! Much to my surprise. I believe it was because his music speaks to me and speaks to the listener. Whether I am playing his music or listening I can physically feel the dissonance in my arms, chest, and head. The piece may be short, slow, and easy to learn but the extremely emotional, delicate, even slow motion of the song made a quite remarkable experience for a mere piano competition for some community colleges. I'll never forget that experience.
Thanks you Diane for having Stephen Porter on the show. It renewed my passion for Debussy that I forgot was there :)
Those fans of DeBussy would probably love the old film "A Portrait of Jenny" since the score contains many excerpts from his works, especially La Mer. The movie is haunting, soul rending passion about a painter's artistic journey to capture the spirit of a woman......beginning with chance meetings with Jenny first as a girl then an ingenue then a woman. I won't spoil the plot but the entire feeling of the film is enthralling with DeBussy's strains intertwined throughout.
Best bet is to look for it on TCM or one of the streaming media outlets.
I visited the Moulin Rouge in Paris once......where DeBussy and his friends used to meet for drinks and talk. Among them were many other artists and thinkers of the era e.g. Loutrec. The bustle of the modern city doesn't offer much in the way of the spirit of those times.