DEBUSSY & RAVEL: Deux arabesques; Estampes; Valses nobles et sentimentales & More - Ilja Hurník

This year's ninetieth birthday finds Renaissance man Ilja Hurník 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. Hurník studied the piano with pedagogues of such renown as V. Kurz, I. Štěpánová-Kurzová and V. Novák and has given numerous concerts abroad (including a four-hand performance with Pavel Štěpán), with his interpretations of Debussy and Janáček being particularly captivating. He has given back to Janáček 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. Hurník'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.

Claude Debussy
Deux arabesques
1. Andantino con moto 04:00
2. Allegretto scherzando 03:19
Claude Debussy
Estampes
3. Pagodes 04:54
4. La soirée dans Grenade 04:51
5. Jardins sous la pluie 04:02
Claude Debussy
Images
6. Reflets dans l'eau 04:55
7. Hommage á Rameau 06:53
8. Mouvement 03:40
9. Cloches a travers les feuilles 04:27
10. Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut 04:55
11. Poissons d'or 03:58
Claude Debussy
Chidren's Corner. Suite
12. Doktor Gradus ad Parnassum 02:12
13. Jimbo's Lullaby 03:41
14. Serenade for the Doll 03:09
15. The Snow is Dancing 02:11
16. The Little Shepherd 02:08
17. Colliwogg's Cake-Walk 03:04
Maurice Ravel
Valses nobles et sentimentales
18. Modéré - trés franc 01:12
19. Assez lent - avec une expression intense 02:33
20. Modéré 01:14
21. Assez animé 01:13
22. Presque lent - dans un sentiment intime 01:31
23. Vif 00:35
24. Moins vif 02:40
25. Épilogue. Lent 03:50