Esa-Pekka Salonen

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This is the Debussy disc to buy if you're buying only one. All of the best and most popular orchestra music is here (the second of the "Images" is the well-known tone poem "Iberia"). Esa-Pekka Salonen must have the keenest ear in the business--no "impressionist" fuzz here. Musical textures are extraordinarily clear, but never at the expense of the music's natural sensuality. The Los Angeles Philharmonic has been playing at the very highest technical level ever since Salonen took over, and Sony has been documenting their work in top-quality sound. There are a lot of Debussy recordings, many of them very good, but it's hard to beat the all-around excellence of this one. --David Hurwitz

Composer: Claude Debussy
Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen
Performer: Janet Ferguson
Ensemble: Los Angeles Philharmonic

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Among Salonen's weapons are his unusually clear beat, his effective use of rehearsal time, his consistently clear and dynamic interpretations and - more often in the concert hall than in the recording studio - his capacity to throw himself emotionally on to the level of a wild man when dynamite is needed.

1. Images for Orchestra: no 1, Gigues
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic

2. Images for Orchestra: no 2, Ibéria
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic
3. Images for Orchestra: no 3, Rondes de printemps
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic
4. Prélude À l'après-midi d'un faune
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic with Janet Ferguson
5. La mer
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic