LDV110

23 FRANÇOIS-FRÉDÉRIC GUY What are the ‘hints’ of Debussy’s personality that you find touching? Debussy was a complex personality. In this work he shows himself to be as much a patriot as a humorist. Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C. begins with ‘God Save the King’. He is capable of mockery, but always with elegance, as in ‘ General Lavine’ - eccentric . The intelligence of his humour is that it always keeps an element of irony. But Debussy’s genius has multiple facets. The poetry of each of the Préludes is unprecedented. The variety of timbres and the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic invention are extraordinary and bear the mark of the greatest geniuses. It is therefore necessary to convey the extremely varied characters of the cycle, which are both revealing of its time and brilliantly premonitory. Debussy is not only a great composer of French music: he is one of the greatest composers of all time.