Debussy: Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre

In this concert we meet the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, one of the world’s most acclaimed and popular soloists, in Debussy’s sparkling, masterful and colourful Fantaisie for piano and orchestra. The concert was recorded in Gothenburg Concert Hall, 24th February 2023. together with conductor Magnus Fryklund.

Four years before his famous Prelude to a Faun’s Afternoon, Claude Debussy composed Fantaisie for piano and orchestra (1889-90), which is his only composition in this genre. Although it follows the traditional movement division, fast-slow-fast, it was never intended as a piano concerto. The piece is not cast like a typical 19th century concerto with the expected interaction back and forth between soloist and orchestra, but is rather characterized by the soloist being well integrated into the orchestral structure. The work Fantaisie was written while Debussy was still searching for his musical language. He was dissatisfied with, among other things, the orchestration, to the point that after the last rehearsal before the premiere, without a word of explanation, he stole the orchestral material.

Leif Ove Andsnes appears courtesy of Sony Classical.