Suite bergamasque

Most people will be familiar with Debussy's evocative Suite bergamasque for solo piano, or its third movement at least: the dreamy “Clair de lune” has been featured on screens and stages across the globe, accompanying everything from the denouement of the 2001 blockbuster Ocean's Eleven to the closing ceremony at the 2020 Olympics. The famous cascading melody is shared between both hands, with rippling sections played in the top right of the keyboard. “Clair de lune” (“Moonlight”) was written after Paul Verlaine's 1869 poem of the same name (a piece of writing that had also inspired Debussy's compatriot Fauré in 1887). The text refers to bergamasques, an element of commedia dell’arte and early modern theatre from which this musical collection takes its title. The other three movements—composed in 1890 and revised in 1905—boast Baroque headings: the opening “Prélude” sets a moderate pace, disturbed by a meandering melody that occasionally dissipates into evanescence. The “Menuet” trots along, demanding the pianist play extended phrases smoothly and yet with clear note definition—no mean feat. The final “Passepied” has a regal nature, with a sprightly, detached accompaniment in the left hand that eventually softens to combine with the upper melody.