which is often heard in the orchestral clothing TFO presents
tonight. Inspired by the poem of the same name by Paul Verlaine
(“still the moonlight sad and lovely”), Debussy published the work
in 1905, long after it was written as part of his Suite Bergamasque,
and it quickly took on a life of its own, a staple of solo recitals and
transcribed for most every combination of instruments.
Some call it confectionary, but there’s no denying the appeal
of this work, with its tranquil opening theme, unanchored tonal
center and ripples of sonority that evoke an atmosphere of mystery
– of a longing that can be felt but not described. Although written
in three connected arcs, the music unfolds almost as a whim,
spontaneous and fleeting, like moonlight on a shadowy night.
“There is no theory,’’ Debussy once said of the technical
aspects of his music. “You merely have to listen. Pleasure is the
law.’’
N O C T U R N E S
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) • Duration: ca. 25 minutes
Debussy was first labeled an Impressionist in 1887, and as
much as he disliked being associated with the movement in visual
art, he never shed the stereotype. He once wrote to his publisher
about a new work: “I’m attempting something different… what
imbeciles call Impressionism -- just about the least appropriate
term possible.’’
In truth, Debussy was more in line with the Symbolists than
a band of painters who experimented with the interplay of light
on the canvas. The Symbolists used vague syntax and metaphor
to evoke elusive meanings that nonetheless struck the emotions.
Debussy found inspiration for his groundbreaking Prelude to the
Afternoon of a Faun from a voluptuous and erotic poem by the
influential Symbolist Stephane Mallarme. It unfolds on the edges
of tonality, and in some ways throws the concept of form out the
window. With this music, Debussy freed himself from traditional
classical development for a more spontaneous expression. It
would, in short, change music forever.
In a pivotal work that follows, Nocturnes, his free floating,
abstract sound world is in full bloom. Debussy composed it as a
musical triptych completed in 1900 and inspired by a painting of
the same name by James McNeill Whistler. With its ever-changing
textures, shifting shapes, novel brass procession and wordless