Claude Debussy: Estampes, Images, Children’s Corner—Stephen Hough, piano (Hyperion 68139)
From the ArkivMusic website: “Any new recording from Stephen Hough is a keenly awaited musical event. Here his customary "scintillating technique" and "imaginative intelligence" ( The Guardian) are deployed in the service of an all-Debussy recital which sets the bar high at this, the start of the composer’s centenary year.” REVIEW: “Anticipation ran high for this album. And its beauties are many and varied. Whether it’s the gorgeous delicacy with which he orchestrates the different layers of sound in Estampes’ Pagodes, the louche sinuousness of La plus que lente (Debussy’s closest thing to a café waltz) or the tenderness of The Little Shepherd in Children’s Corner, there’s no doubt that Hough is largely in his element here.