Samson Francois – Debussy: Children’s Corner Estampes Suite (LP, Warner)

Debussy and “his” pianist: Samson Francois’ recordings on vinyl for the 100th anniversary of his death The year 2018 is dedicated to the composer Claude Debussy: when he died a hundred years earlier, he had ushered in a new age of sound, of finely woven motifs in music, which would later go down in history as Impressionism. Not only his orchestral but also his piano music is shaped by this new style, which required pianists to completely rethink. One of the most important Debussy interpreters was the Frenchman Samson Francois. His legendary recordings are now entering the hallowed halls of the 180g vinyl catalogue. As brilliant as Francois’ successes were, his life was just as tragic. The pianist not only played classical concerts. He composed and traveled in the fields of jazz and film music. He died in 1970 at the age of 46 from a heart attack. The music of Claude Debussy was at the center of his musical cosmos. World pain, boldness and drama, combined with a unique imagery, characterize his interpretations of the works on the present LP, written in 1968 and 1969: Children’s Corner, Estampes, Suite bergamasque (with the famous Clair de lune) and the Suite Pour le, which is based on the baroque style Piano.