Debussy: Deux arabesques, Estampes, Images, Children’s Corner, Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales

Debussy, Claude, Ravel, Maurice

Hurník, Ilia

SU 4119-2

Debussy and Ravel in Ilja Hurnik's highly acclaimed recordings for the first time on CD.Recorded at the Domovina Studio,Prague,December 10,1968 (1 11),February 28 and March 1,1958. (12 17),December 8 9,1959(18 25).This year's ninetieth birthday finds Renaissance man Ilja Hurnik still in possession of remarkable strength and vigour.After recently terminating his career as a pianist,he has gained more scope for devoting to composing and writing.Hurnik studied the piano with pedagogues of such renown as V. Kurz,I.Stepanova-Kurzova and V. Novak and has given numerous concerts abroad (including a four-hand performance with Pavel Stepan),with his interpretations of Debussy and Janacek being particularly captivating.He has given back to Janacek the earthiness and crispness resulting from the Lachian dialect and purged Debussy of the Impressionistic mist and accumulated layers of brush strokes,turning the audience's attention to the compositions subtle drawing and structure.When listening to the presented recordings,one will be hard pressed indeed to believe that they were made a full half-century ago. Hurnik's ninetieth birthday is an appropriate opportunity to recall them: their first release on CD,in a carefully remastered version,will certainly be welcomed not only by his contemporaries.

CD x 1

Supraphon

1/15/13

99925411923