Debussy: Fantaisie, Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, La mer

Debussy: Fantaisie, Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, La mer may be an unusual programme, but it’s one that proves very satisfying. The common threads are Debussy and Daniel Barenboim, encountered here as both pianist and conductor. Joined by legendary pianist Martha Argerich—a friend of Barenboim’s since childhood—they give us the Fantaisie, Debussy’s quasi-piano concerto, in a performance full of vitality. Two younger musicians join the conductor for the late string sonatas: Barenboim’s son Michael, the celebrated string player, plays the Violin Sonata in G Minor with great feeling, while Austria’s Kian Soltani is particularly fine in the Cello Sonata in D Minor. The album ends with Debussy’s orchestral masterpiece La mer, which Barenboim’s Staatskapelle Berlin play magnificently, the fibre and texture of this “sea symphony” beautifully displayed.