Steven Osborne: Debussy – Piano Music

Hyperion

Every new release from pianist Steven Osborne is met with great expectations. Once again they are fulfilled in this deliciously coloured Debussy presentation. Osborne focuses on solo piano works from the first decade of the 20th century: both sets of Images, the three Estampes, and the innocent complexities of

Children’s Corner.

In every one, from the expansive calm of Reflets Dans L’eau and the sumptuous exoticism of Pagodes , to the sensuous lilt of La Soirée Dans

Grenade and the crisp fingerwork

of Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum, Osborne’s fastidious attention to tone and touch is exceptional. There’s immediate proof of that in the three standalone works that open the disc: Masques, with its mysterious flamboyance; the timeless soundscapes of D’UN

Cahier D’esquisses; and the lightning sensitivities of L’isle Joyeuse .Thisis pianism that transcends the ordinary