Originally recorded in 1953 and 1954 in monaural sound,
Walter Gieseking's magisterial performances of
Debussy's preludes were first released on CD in 1987 as a single disc, and they have been reissued in various guises many times since. Gieseking more or less owned these pieces during his lifetime and his performances have been judged as definitive by many critics since they were first issued on LP. Some have rightfully regretted that the pianist's technique was not more polished and that these recordings were not clearer and cleaner. But few have complained about
Gieseking's obvious deep affection for the music or about his poetic and evocative readings of these masterpieces. Any listener who reveres
Debussy and has never heard these performances should be interested in this disc.