Debussy, Claude (1881): Andante cantabile pour deux pianos, L. 10 — Louis Lortie/Hélène Mercier

Composer: Achille Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918)
Pianist I: Louis Lortie (born 27 April 1959)
Pianist II: Hélène Mercier-Arnault (born 7 November 1969)

0:00 - Introduction
0:07 - Andante cantabile
6:40 - Tempo di marcia funebre (fragment)

Score available on the International Sheet Music Library Project typeset by Pacamah (@RavelManuscriptProject) on MuseScore, who notes: "Full transcription of autograph manuscript, including fragment. Accidentals in the first movement added based largely on other piano part, chords, and recordings. Markings are only those in manuscript."

Roger Nichols notes that the composer "made his first known appearance as duettist in 1880 when he was recommended by the Conservatoire authorities as a pianist to Tchaikovsky’s patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, both as part of a piano trio and to play duets with her. Needless to say, duet arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s first four symphonies were de rigueur, especially No. 4, which she described to the composer as ‘our symphony’. As well as writing his own Piano Trio, on his return visit over the New Year 1880 / 81 the nineteen-year-old Debussy composed for piano duet the first movement of a B minor symphony as well as this Andante cantabile, which may well have been intended as the slow movement. It is worth mentioning that, while the piano playing of the mature Debussy was noted for its smoothness and delicacy (Milhaud’s wife, Madeleine, who heard Debussy play during World War I, remarked that you would not have known the piano contained hammers), as a teenager he was accused of forcing his effects, together with a certain amount of puffing and blowing. So perhaps the epithet ‘cantabile’ was a memo to self to mind his manners."

An early work of the master which dates to a short time following the conception of his Symphony in B minor, which itself survives in a four-hand piano reduction. A theory exists that it may be part of said piece.
This duet was originally written for piano four-hands, but in this recording, is apparently performed on two pianos. It is founded upon the Romanticism of Massenet, Chaminade, Délibes et alia; yet, one notices how hints of the composer's true voice surface throughout.
The musicologist Yves A Lado-Bordowsky writes that the piece is "distinguished by constant exchanges of melodic drawings between its two parts; it includes many changes in alterations, some of which sometimes last only a few measures".
On the final page of his manuscript, Debussy sketched a 'Tempo di marcia funebre', which lay incomplete. It lay as part of the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, where it received its world première on 14 December 1989 by Christian Ivaldi and Noël Lee; the latter would edit the score upon its posthumous publication by Éditions Durand in 2002 (part of their critical editions of the composer's complete œuvre).

Selon la description de cette chaîne, je ne possède rien dans cette vidéo. La musique et les performances ont été téléchargées à des fins de divulgation uniquement.
As per the description of this channel, I do not own anything within this video. The music and performances have been uploaded for divulgation purposes only.