Claude Debussy ‒ Trois Nocturnes

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918), Trois Nocturnes (1899) Performed by Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit conductor. 00:00 - No. 1 Nuages (“Clouds“) 07:54 - No. 2 Fêtes (“Festivals“) 14:13 - No. 3 Sirènes (“Sirens“) Debussy originally planned his Nocturnes as a series of pieces for the famous Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaÿe, a work that he completed in 1896, deriving inspiration from the poet Henri de Regnier, under its first title Trois scenes au crepuscule (Three Scenes at Twilight), conceived in the years 1892 and 1893. The final orchestral version of the work was completed in 1900. The first of the three sections of the work, Nuages (Clouds), provides a poetically evocative opening, a reflection of the movement of the clouds across the sky. It is followed by Fetes (Festivals), a re-creation of holiday festivities in the Bois de Boulogne. The third Nocturne, Sirenes (Sirens), returns to the gentler mood of the first. A traditional riddle had puzzled over what song the Sirens sang to lure ancient Greek sailors to their doom. Debussy provides his own answer, a picture of the sea in majesty, beauty and variety, foreshadowing La mer. The song of the Sirens is represented by a wordless female chorus.