First there was the eccentric Erik Satie. He encouraged Debussy to write music that was not hidebound by academic tradition – ‘Break the rules, defy convention’ could have been his credo – and to find ...

In his straightforward approach, Thibaudet adopted swift tempos and largely avoided undo lingering. At times one wanted more of the mystère quality and inward lyricism in works such, as “La Fille aux ...