Debussy & Pizzetti: BBC Singers

A series exploring the links between two composers: Claude Debussy, who died a hundred years ago, and Ildebrando Pizzetti, who died 50 years ago and was a great admirer of the elder composer.

Pizzetti’s music naturally tended towards drama, with expressive melodies and choral writing born of the lilting rhythms of the Italian language. His compositions are rarely performed today, but this is the kind of music that leaves a lasting impression. Debussy also has this power – the ability to weave stories from a simple melody, with an innate elegance and lyricism. These are two composers separated by a generation, whose music makes the perfect pairing.

Change of Conductor & Programme

Conductor Bart Van Reyn is indisposed and unable to conduct the BBC Singers in this BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. We are extremely grateful to Owain Park for stepping in to conduct.

There has also been a change to the programme, and Debussy’s ‘Des pas sur la neige’, in a vocal arrangement by Clytus Gottwald, will now be performed in place of the composer’s ‘Réveillez-vous, arbres des bois’.