02. - 03. Claude Debussy - 'Nuages' and 'Fetes' from Nocturnes [12'52]
04. - 06. Claude Debussy - Images pour orchestre* [35'12]
London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux
Decca Eloquence Australia 476 8472 (recorded December 1961 - Decca and 1963 - Philips*; this CD release 2006)
(flac and scans)
Recording venue: Decca - Kingsway Hall, London and Philips - not disclosed*
Recording Engineer: and Producer Decca - Kenneth Wilkinson and Erik Smith; Philips - not disclosed*
Here's a compilation of recordings originally made for Decca and for Philips. The disc is posted here primarily for the Decca recordings of the Prelude and the two movements from Nocturnes. The Philips recording of Images has already been posted here on MIMIC by Davide in his World of Debussy #3 (new link in page comments) in their original coupling with the fragments from Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien. (A later release from Eloquence also has the fragments shoe-horned into one CD along with the other music - 4806567.)
Given the wonderful performance (and the usual fine Kingsway Hall sound) of the Prelude and first two Nocturnes, it's a great pity that Monteux never recorded Sirenes.
This Images was one of Monteux's last recordings, made not long before his death in July the next year. He was then perhaps a little past his prime as a conductor but this performance is well worth having nevertheless. If anybody knows the location and production team for this fine Philips recording, I would also love to know.
