Debussy's Clair de Lune - the moonlight is sadder than you think

Debussy’s Clair de Lune is one of those pieces almost everyone recognises, even if they don’t know its name. It belongs to the Suite Bergamasque, and its world is not just “moonlight” in the simple, postcard sense. Behind it is Verlaine’s poem, and behind that a Watteau-like landscape of masked figures, silk costumes, dancing, beauty, and sadness just beneath the surface. That is what I love about this piece. It sounds effortless, but it is full of shadows. It is elegant without being emotionally tidy. This performance comes from Piano Stories, my solo piano recital programme, created for concert and cruise audiences who enjoy music with a story behind it. I talk about each piece before I play, not to explain the magic away, but to give the listener another doorway in. Whether you have loved Debussy for years or you are meeting this piece properly for the first time, I hope this performance gives you a few quiet minutes in that strange, beautiful moonlit world. Performed by Jeremy Fisher, solo piano Poem by Verlaine