Музыка и песни Collard (-Neven) Jean-Philippe, piano / Коллар (-Невен) Жан-Филипп, фортепиано

A century after his death on 25 March 1918, many harmonia mundi artists are eager to pay tribute to Claude Debussy, the magician of melody and timbre, the great ‘colourist’ and father of modern music. There was also a wish to honour the composer of ‘Pelléas’ as one of those creative artists who, long before Louis Armstrong and Bill Evans, had a determining influence on certain harmonic colours of jazz. Let us therefore salute the initiative of the appropriately named Quatuor Debussy who, with the friendly collaboration of leading jazz personalities, have revisited the ‘Préludes’ in their own way.

Jean-Philippe Collard’s version stands out for its fluidity and wonderful naturalness. He constantly renews his touch, first thinking of the Pictures at an exhibition... in their orchestral nature. The artist never tries to do too much, painting each painting with imagination but sobriety, always concerned with balance. Thanks to this sense of narration, Baba Yaga and the Great Gate of Kiev hit the nail on the head. This overflowing energy recalls a certain Horowitz with whom Jean-Philippe Collard had forged a beautiful friendship in those crucial years when artistic maturity was forged