Marking the centenary of one of the 20th century’s most influential composers: a 4-CD set presenting Hans Henkemans’ visionary Debussy recordings for Philips, which foreshadowed those of the generations of pianists which followed him; not least among them: Michelangeli, Béroff, and Zimerman.
Hans Henkemans made his debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in late December 1945, and for 25 years, he was acclaimed for his readings of Beethoven and Ravel, and especially for his performances of Mozart and Debussy. In 1951, he signed a contract with the newly-founded Philips label and between 1951 and 1957 his recordings would include the complete piano works of Claude Debussy. It is noteworthy that his orchestration of Debussy’s Préludes is perhaps the most accomplished that has been made to this day.
First international CD release, and first digital release, of all repertoire, with CDs 2-4 released for the first time ever on CD.