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Atma Classique5
Voyages
Philip Chiu, piano
Atma Classique, 2024
Petite suite is a charming beginning to the album, both as a chronological predecessor to Debussy’s Images, and as a demonstration of Chiu’s virtuosic soloistic skills. The suite, written by Debussy for four hands and eventually arranged by Jacques Durand for two, has been modified to sound more like the original composition. This becomes clear in the gentle but expertly interwoven melodies of movements two and four, Cortège and Ballet. The works sound effortless.
Reflets dans l’eau then leaves a lasting impression with exquisite wave-like arpeggiations that contrast beautifully against moments of loud drama. It builds on the theme of water set up by En bateau, evoking a mental image of Chiu as an impossibly fluid instrumentalist.
His incredible flexibility carries into Alice Ping Yee Ho’s Hong Kong Nostalgia, a more atmospheric work with an intense and occasionally dreamlike spirit. The movements draw upon the emotional impacts of national landmarks, such as the magnificence of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, or the bustling nightlife of bazaars. Chiu expresses these ideas with ease, and bids farewell to listeners with his rendition of Debussy’s Estampes.
Playlist
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