Three concerts on Monday, March 7, Tuesday, March 8, and again on Monday, March 14, will comprise the Debussy Festival and will pay tribute to the piano works of Claude Debussy. The concerts will be held in Barnes Hall.
Debussy's numerous piano works are among some of his greatest accomplishments and helped shape the direction of modern music in the 20th century. Performing will be graduate students Augustus Arnone, Emily Green, Frédéric Lacroix and Shane Levesque; undergraduate Emily Goldman; and guest Eveliina Kytömaki.
The first concert on March 7 is titled "Debussy and Orientalism." Debussy's music was greatly influenced by an Indonesian gamelan ensemble that he heard performing in Paris.
A preconcert discussion on this influence will be led at 7 p.m. by Associate Professor Martin Hatch, an expert in ethnomusicology and world music, and Kristin Taavola, assistant professor of music theory. In addition to performances of Debussy's "Images II, Estampes" and five of his Etudes, this program also will feature a performance by the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble, directed by Hatch.
The second concert on March 8 will explore "Debussy's Harmonic Language." The pieces performed here will largely be drawn from Debussy's two books of Preludes. Also performed will be "La plus que lente" and "Images I." A preconcert discussion will be led by Taavola at 7 p.m.
The third and final concert, held March 14, will highlight "Debussy's Importance to Contemporary Composers." Debussy's much-loved "Children's Corner," five Etudes and two more of his Preludes will be performed. In addition to these, interspersed throughout the concert will be music by other composers reflecting Debussy's influence. The preconcert discussion, scheduled for 7 p.m., will feature Professor Roberto Sierra being interviewed by graduate student Emily Dolan.
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