Lortie/Mercier - Claude Debussy: Piano Duets

Regular duet and two-piano partners H�l�ne Mercier and Louis Lortie have returned to the studio for this all-Debussy programme. The album features duets written by the composer himself -such as the Petite Suite, the Six �pigraphes antiques and the Marche �cossaise sur un th�me Populaire; as well as a number of arrangements of his solo piano pieces (the Premi�re Arabesque, La Fille aux cheveux de lin and the Ballade slave). The album ends with Andr� Caplet�s monumental arrangement of Debussy�s best known orchestral work, La Mer. Stripped of its orchestration, this two-piano version allows the listener to more easily appreciate Debussy�s ground-breaking harmonic innovation. The album was recorded in the concert hall at Snape Maltings in Suffolk, using a pair of B�sendorfer 280 VC grand pianos.