C. DEBUSSY Symphony in B minor (1880)
(Orch. N Sheriff)
Debussy composed the Symphony in B minor when he was 18 years old. Little is known about the work apart from Debussy’s connection with Madame von Meck, a wealthy widow who has gone down in music history as Tchaikovsky’s patroness. On one of her many journeys throughout Europe she took with, on recommendation, the talented french pianist Clause Debussy, who at the time was still a student of composition at the Paris Conservatoire. Debussy spent his holidays in the years 1880 – 1882 in Madame von Meck entourage. He would play for her on the piano, and together they performed piano duets of music she specially liked, especially pieces she had received from Tchaikovsky. At her request, he also made piano arrangements of dances from swan lake.
Debussy’s visit to Russia had a strong and lasting impact on his music, which until then had been chiefly influenced by Palestrina, Bach and Wagner. It is not easy to decide which Russian composer had a greater influence in him – Mussorgsky or Tchaikovsky. In his Writings, Debussy makes a special mention of Mussorgsky, in whose compositions he had found a kindred spirit for some of his own ideas. Nevertheless Tchaikovsky plays an important role in shaping his works, even though music historians have tended to overlook this fact.