Podcast Program No. 53
Two Frenchmen (42.6MB)
Works for solo piano and violin and piano duo performed by violinist Corey Cerovsek and pianist Jeremy Denk.

•Debussy: Preludes
•Faure: Sonata in A Major for violin and piano,
Op. 13

The pieces on this podcast were written by two of the most renowned French composers, Claude Debussy and Gabriel Faure. First is a selection of Debussy's piano preludes, some of the most magical and effervescent music ever written. Each can be heard as a small vignette. The first, “Voiles,” evokes a calm evening at the ocean, white sails floating over the sea. Another, “Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest,” is a stormy reflection of the west wind. And “La puerta del vino” is a sensual Habanera dance inspired by a picture postcard from the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. Faure’s Sonata in A Major is romantic and lush, and sounds much more traditional than Debussy's modal and quixotic piano pieces. But like the Preludes, each movement of Faure's sonata has a distinct personality. The first movement is excited, if bittersweet; the second, dark and yearning. The third movement is quirky and humorous; and the finale closes the sonata with a flowing, sometimes fiery character.