Hyperion Records

CDA67530

View sleeve notes/artwork (PDF)

Recording details: January 2006
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: September 2006
Total duration: 77 minutes 4 seconds

CHOC DU MONDE DE LA MUSIQUE
CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK : DAILY TELEGRAPH
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE
GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE
ALEX ROSS BEST OF 2006

'A good recording of the Debussy Préludes should feel like an occasion, and Steven Osborne delivers. His playing seeps with atmosphere and he delves deep into the composer’s sound world. There is throughout the sense of going on a journey, even awe, to Osborne’s interpretations. Beautifully recorded, this is total-immersion Debussy' (Gramophone)

'This CD confirms what has been increasingly apparent from Osborne's recitals: he is one of the outstanding keyboard talents of our time. Osborne plays with a maturity that sets him apart from most of his contemporaries bringing to the two books of préludes a quality of touch, texture and colour that lets the music's scene and story-telling speak for itself without blurring. From the very first note you feel he has Debussy's entire sound-world in his grasp' (The Financial Times)

'The finesse that Steven Osborne infallibly brings to his playing pays winning dividends on this recording of the two books of Debussy's Préludes' (Daily Telegraph)

'Steven Osborne's accounts of both books of Debussy's Préludes are as cultivated and refined as one might expect from this hugely talented young pianist. The shifting layers of Voiles, the introspection of Feuilles Mortes, the terraces of sound in La Cathédrale Engloutie and Canopes are full of carefully observed detail, so that every harmonic nuance is perfectly rendered' (The Guardian)

'His playing has the same luminous precision as the Seurat painting Beach at Bas Butin on the booklet cover. Just as the painter [turns his] Divisionist dots into shimmering pictures, so Osborne uses Debussy's immaculately etched notes to do the same. It offers the rare pleasure that can be given only by someone who knows exactly what he is doing' (International Record Review)

Osborne's Debussy has much to commend it. He is a sensitive tone-colourist and .. one immediately senses that one is in the presence of a poet...this playing is alive with personality and zest...Osborne has the measure of this music' (International Piano)

'It's clear that this beautifully engineered release has few serious catalog rivals and easily ranks first among modern versions that fit both books of Debussy's Preludes onto a single disc. A triumph!' (ClassicsToday.com)

'The only word one can use to secure pinpoint accuracy in any assessment of Steven Osborne's wonderful new recording of Debussy's two books of Préludes for piano is magisterial. It is freshly-minted and mind-opening, not least in the most intelligent and lucid performances of Les collines d'Anacapri I have ever heard' (The Glasgow Herald)

'One of the most memorable discs of the year...Osborne has the full measure of the music in this gloriously played and beautifully recorded disc. His readings of the 24 pieces exude authority and empathy in equal measure, and he finds a wonderful range and depth of tonal colour and texture in the music, delivered with just the right touch and expression. Sensitive and lucid, this is a magnificent achievement to add to the pianist's already substantial reputation' (Inverness Courier)

'Le miracle de la version de Steven Osborne est en quelque sorte d'unir les magiciens du son et les rigoristes. Immédiatement, son interprétation nous plonge dans des mondes sonores quasiment oubliés depuis Zimerman. Il y a parfois des choses que l'on n'arrive tout simplement pas à croire. J'en suis à cinq écoutes et je n'en reviens toujours pas...' (ClassicsTodayFrance.com)