This set includes a blu-ray audio CD playable on blu-ray players only and a standard CD playable on all CD players. ----- Even in a...

This set includes a blu-ray audio CD playable on blu-ray players only and a standard CD playable on all CD players.

-----

Even in a catalog crowded with world-class Debussy Préludes Book II cycles, Michael Lewin has a lot to offer. The intricate fingerwork in Nos. 1, 4, 8, 11 and 12 combine muted hues and blueprint clarity, while sustained neutral tones create haunting long lines throughout Nos. 2 and 10. The disc opens with pianist/transcriber Koji Attwood’s beautiful reworking of the song “Beau Soir,” followed by myriad short works. Although Lewin’s cut and dried Valse romantique and La Plus que lente may lack charm and sentiment to certain ears, L’isle joyeux and Etude pour les octaves release their pent-up tension to impressive effect.

– Jed Distler, Listen Magazine