“As far as Debussy’s piano music is concerned, one has the impression that the very existence of the hammer mechanically striking the strings should, as it were, be negated”, Xavier de Maistre said, “One is especially aware of this in quiet passages in the piano’s upper register: here the sound seems literally to float and to emerge from nothingness. This intermediate medium simply does not exist on the harp, where every note is more direct and at the same time gentler, while the verticality that is so typical of the piano is eliminated.”

Many remarks made by Claude Debussy to his colleague Manuel de Falla show that he thoroughly enjoyed the sound of an instrument that “miraculously embodied his ideal of mysterious music, music that does not reveal the means by which it is produced.” He even asked renowned Harpist Pierre Jamet for transcriptions of some of his pieces, which remained popular all throughout his lifetime.

Many of the transcriptions performed by Xavier de Maistre on “NUIT D’ÉTOILES”, already the fifth album in his discography, are world premiere recordings, making the disc an allround interesting effort. Until it arrives 10th March, here’s Xavier de Maistre playing music by Claude Debussy’s friend Manuel de Falla:

 

 

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