Debussy: Petite Suite (orch. Büsser), La Boîte à joujoux (orch. Caplet), Children’s Corner (orch. Caplet)
Pascal Rophé / Pays-de-la-Loire National Orchestra (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
這三首德布西作品，通常不被算入他的管弦樂作品，於是也較少被演奏以及收錄在管弦樂全集之中。它們都是由他人從德布西的鋼琴原作配器，三首有兩首是在德布西生前完成。
假如要為它們找一個共同點，我會說是兒童或童真，即如唱片封面。《小組曲》（軌一至四）原作為四手聯彈，雖然不像《兒童角落》（軌11至16）開宗明義有那麼多嬉戲元素，但旋律不單止純真，而且充滿柔情。我覺得德布西沒有自己寫管弦版，又不是那麼可惜，反而勝在簡單直接，與其說是添加色彩（就像把黑白的素描上色），我覺得較像拓闊了聲響的空間，做到這樣已很足夠。
《玩具箱》（軌五至十）原為和繪本作家合作的芭蕾舞劇，德布西出版了鋼琴版後，嘗試把它配器但未完成便去世了，結果由把《兒童角落》配器的Caplet完成。我起初以為是較早期作品，原來比德布西最被前衛音樂家稱頌的《遊戲》還要遲一年。描寫玩具變成真人的故事，我看還是要在舞台看較為合適，德布西為它作的音樂，我覺得獨立聆聽的價值較另外兩首低。
Although Debussy wrote numerous orchestral pieces there’s always room for more. The three works recorded here were all orchestrated by others but they were all (or almost) done in Debussy’s lifetime.
Just as the CD cover suggests, children or naivety is the best way to approach these often overlooked orchestral versions. Petite Suite (tracks 1-4) is much better known in its piano duet original, so is Children’s Corner (tracks 11-16) that was written for solo piano. But Petite Suite’s simple and tender melodies do manifest themselves better when played by the orchestra. I don’t regret the fact they weren’t orchestrated by the composer, on the contrary, there might be the possibility that Debussy would complicate things too much.
I thought La Boîte à joujoux (tracks 5-10) is an early work but the piano version was written in 1913, the year after the daring Jeux. Debussy didn’t complete the orchestration before his death and so André Caplet, his pupil who orchestrated Children’s Corner, finished the job for him. It’s a ballet that doesn’t work well as pure music and therefore much less enjoyable than Petite Suite and Children’s Corner.