Melvyn Tan - Debussy: Préludes (2005)

Melvyn Tan gave up the modern piano when he was a student at the Royal College of Music in London, selling his own piano so he could buy a fortepiano and established a successful career with the music of Classical and early Romantic eras. In the mid-'90s, however, he decided to expand his repertoire by adding back music for the modern piano, performing everything from Schumann to Messiaen in recitals. This set of Debussy Preludes is his first recording on a modern instrument, and the pleasant surprise is that he does them very well. At times Pascal Rogé's may be more brightly animated and Gordon Fergus-Thompson's more smoothly watercolory, but Tan is quite capable of evoking atmosphere and conveying a sense that these are personally meaningful. There is majesty and pride throughout La Cathédrale engloutie, and Les fées song d'exquises danseuses is appropriately delicate, just as La fille aux cheveux de lin has a gentle daydream-like quality. He doesn't force or give special emphasis to the details of the more picturesque preludes, such as General Lavine -- eccentric or Feux d'artifices, but they still come through as distinguishing characteristics of each prelude's particular image. With this recording, Tan begins to demonstrate to a wider audience that he is a versatile musician who can appreciate and perform keyboard music from many periods.