Debussy: Préludes I - Crumb: Makrokosmos I Martin Klett

• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918): Préludes, Book I, L. 117:
• 1 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 1. Danseuses de Delphes (Lent et grave) 02:58
• 2 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 2. Voiles (Modéré) 04:20
• 3 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 3. Le vent dans la plaine (Animé) 02:23
• 4 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 4. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir (Modéré) 04:04
• 5 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 5. Les collines d'Anacapri (Très modéré) 03:09
• 6 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 6. Des pas sur la neige (Triste et lent) 04:28
• 7 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 7. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest (Animé et tumultueux) 03:48
• 8 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 8. La fille aux cheveux de lin (Très calme et doucement expressif) 02:38
• 9 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 9. La sérénade interrompue (Modérément animé) 02:29
• 10 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 10. La cathédrale engloutie (Profondément calme) 06:33
• 11 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 11. La danse de Puck (Capricieux et léger) 03:06
• 12 Préludes, Book I, L. 117: No. 12. Minstrels (Modéré) 02:28
• George Crumb (b. 1929):Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part I:
• 13 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part I: I. Cancer. Primeval Sounds(Genesis I) 04:42
• 14 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part I: II. Proteus (Pisces) 01:15
• 15 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part I: III. Taurus. Pastorale(from the Kingdom of Atlantis, ca. 10,000 B.C.) 01:53
• 16 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part I: IV. Capricorn. Crucifixus 02:44
• Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part II:
• 17 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part II: V. Scorpio. The Phantom Gondolier 02:58
• 18 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part II: VI. Saggitarius. Night-Spel I 04:02
• 19 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part II: VII. Libra. Music of Shadows (for Aeolian Harp) 02:39
• 20 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part II: VIII. Leo. The Magic Circle of Infinity (Moto Perpetuo) 01:38
• Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part III:
• 21 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part III: IX. Virgo. The Abyss of Time 02:46
• 22 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part III: X. Aries. Spring-Fire 02:02
• 23 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part III: XI. Gemini. Dream Images (Love-Death Music) 04:57
• 24 Makrokosmos I, Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano, Part III: XII. Aquarius. Spiral Galaxy 02:58
• Total Runtime 01:16:58

Info for Debussy: Préludes I - Crumb: Makrokosmos I

This is the second solo album from pianist Martin Klett.

"Claude Debussy is often labelled as a musical Impressionist. It is misleading to do so, however, since Debussy was not truly associated with the visual artists who belonged to that current. Instead, he viewed himself as an adept of Symbolism, as one can tell from his choice of texts for musical settings and from his opera Pelléas et Mélisande; he eventually turned against the association of music with imagery. In his two volumes of Préludes, the subjects or poetic descriptions were not featured as titles, but appeared in brackets at the end of each piece more like subtitles than titles. Thus, the Préludes hark back to previous milestones in the genre: in the preludes of Bach and Chopin, the center of attention had not been musical illustration, but the keyboard per se

The aspect of magic in sound is not only prominent in Debussy's cycle of préludes, but also in another cycle: Makrokosmos, which American composer George Crumb started to write in 1972. Makrokosmos eventually grew to four volumes and acquired legendary status. The first two volumes are for solo piano; Vols. 3 and 4 are for two pianos and percussion, viz. for piano four hands, respectively. Contemporary modes of execution are prominent in all four volumes, including tapping and knocking on the piano frame, or scraping the strings.

Transformation of timbre is an essential element for Crumb, who had alchemy in mind. Aspects of the occult are prominent in the first volume, which is devoted to the signs of the zodiac not in terms of astronomy, but of astrology, i.e. the influence of zodiac signs on a person's development and character. Crumb's Makrokosmos is thus likewise a collection of character pieces such as the more Romantic ones Schumann wrote for piano in the 19th century.

Like Schumann, Crumb dedicated his pieces to concrete people: he encrypted their identity in abbreviations, and the puzzles are easy to solve. The fifth piece, "The Phantom Gondolier", is in the sign of Scorpio, which exerts its influence on the lives of those born from 24 October on exactly the day George Crumb was born in 1929. This piece is thus a stunning self-portrait. We hear howling and moaning through the vastness of space; everything else remains a mystery. .." (Excerpts from the booklet notes by Bernd Künzig)

Martin Klett, piano

Martin Klett
has made a name for himself as a solo pianist and chamber musician. Ever since winning the International Johannes Brahms Competition and the German National Music Competition, he has become a welcome guest at the prestigious music festivals of Lucerne, Schleswig-Holstein, Heidelberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schwetzingen to name just a few. Further invitations have led to performances throughout Europe and Asia.

As a valued chamber musician, Martin Klett regularly performs with ARD and ECHO prize winners, leaders from major orchestras and renowned professors. Among many others, his chamber music partners are Sebastian Manz, Daniela Koch, Jacques Ammon, Sophie Heinrich and Charles-Antoine Duflot. He has also been invited to perform with such artists as Sabine Meyer, Benedict Klöckner, Maximilian Hornung, Gabriel Schwabe, the Schumann Quartet and many more.

Numerous live recordings as well as 7 CD productions so far present Martin Klett’s extensive discography. The most recent ones are his chamber music CDs with clarinetist Sebastian Manz, published by CAvi and Berlin Classics, as well as the latest album of his Cuarteto SolTango, recorded at Deutschlandfunk Köln. Rave reviews by the Rondo and The Strad magazines illustrate their great success. Martin Klett is currently planning two recordings as soloist in collaboration with the South West German Broadcast and Deutschlandradio Berlin, along with another album by Cuarteto SolTango.

Born in 1987, Martin Klett started taking piano lessons at the age of six. He has been particularly influenced and inspired by Prof. Konrad Elser who provided significant guidance at the Conservatoire of Lübeck. Further tutelage by Elisabeth Leonskaja, Leon Fleisher, Pascal Devoyon, Gerhard Schulz and Walter Levin has rounded off his artistic development. Crowning an impressive array of prizes and distinctions, Klett was awarded a further fellowship from the German National Music Competition which accorded him strengthened recognition as a soloist. A passionate pedagogue, he tutors students of the Conservatoire of Leipzig in piano studies.

Apart from his activities as a classical performer, Klett is an avid arranger and bears a keen interest for Argentine tango. In 2008 he founded the Cuarteto SolTango, which performs Tango Argentino in the spirit of true chamber musicianship, challenging the repertoire of classical concert series on internationally renowned stages and at established festivals in conjunction with Deutschlandfunk and Bavarian Broadcast.

Booklet for Debussy: Préludes I - Crumb: Makrokosmos I