Images - (Amadeus) by Paul Roberts (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Paris at the turn of the 20th century was obsessed with the interrelations of the arts. It was a time when artists and writers spoke of poetry as music, sounds as colors, and paintings as symphonies. The music of Claude Debussy, with its unique textures and dazzling colors, was the perfect counterpart to the bold new styles of painting in France. Paul Roberts probes the sources of Debussy's artistic inspiration, relating the "impressionist" titles to the artistic and literary ferment of the time. He also draws on his own performing experience to touch on all the principal technical problems for a performer of Debussy's piano music. His many suggestions about interpreting the music will be particularly valuable to performers as well as listeners.

About the Author

Paul Roberts is one of Britain's most exciting and astute interpreters of French piano music. His complete cycle of Debussy's piano music earned him high acclaim at London's Southbank. In France, he has broadcast live performances for France Musique and has been a frequent member of the jury of the International Debussy Piano Competition at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. One of a rare breed of pianists whose imagination is constantly fed from sources outside music, he has a degree in English literature from York University. Roberts directs Music at Ladevie, the piano summer school in southwest France, and is a professor of piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Lecture-recitals and masterclasses take him around the world. He has recorded the music of Debussy for the BBC and for Radio France and recently completed his first CD, Debussy: Piano Music. Designed as a companion to the book, the CD is a first of a series of recordings in which he performs the complete piano works.