Rachfan wrote:
I enjoyed listening to these two early Debussy works. The mazurka is not heard often, so it was good that you could play it here. It has much charm and the French take on a Polish dance form is interesting. The nocturne is a beautiful piece, and very well played. As for a missing note in a run, it wasn't really distracting. These pieces are in his late romantic mode as were pieces like the "Images oublies", the gorgeous "D'un cahier d'esquisses", and "L'Isle joyeuse". Had Debussy not transitioned into impressionism and had stayed with late romantic style, I think he might have been nearly as successful pursuing that other path. But I'm glad that history unfolded the way it did, as impressionism changed the landscape of the music world. He was a great composer.
Thanks, David. There's something about his early pieces that I do not find in his later ones (though I love most of those, too). The influence of Grieg and Tchaikovsky is very clear.