Between 1909 and 1913, Claude Debussy (1862–1918) wrote two books of solo piano preludes, 24 total. This week’s Video Pick features two of our favorite Canadian guitarists, Steve Cowan and Adam Cicchillitti, performing Cowan’s truly lovely arrangement of of Prelude No. 5 from Book II, known as “Brueyéres,” named after a picturesque town in the Vosges region of northeast France. Debussy’s marking for the piece is “calme,” and it is that—serene and incredibly beautiful! (Sad to say, the Vosges was the scene of horrific warfare during World War I, just a few years after Debussy wrote this piece.
The video was made by Drew Henderson (who is a fine guitarist himself).
In the past, we’ve featured individual videos by each of the guitarists, including Cowan playing Claude Vivier’s Piece pour guitare, and Cicchillitti performing his own Europa.
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Below: The Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères