Preview
Creation Date
1-20-2012
Description
January 20, 2012
Frederic Chiu presented CLASSICAL SMACKDOWN: Prokofiev vs. Debussy. The audience weighed in as Chiu ponders the musical question: Who would win if French Impressionist composer Claude Debussy were to go “head to head” with Russian early modernist Sergei Prokofiev?
Vying for the audience’s attention, and vote, are two of Chiu’s absolutely favorite composers – Claude Debussy born in 1862 in France, and Sergei Prokofiev born in 1891 in Ukraine. There could hardly be two composers from the turn of the 20th century who were more different than these two. This was a time when concert music really held high stakes – it stirred people’s spirits to love, patriotism, violence, more than any other medium. In three rounds, faced with a choice between such contrasting styles, perhaps audience members will be inspired to take a stand on behalf of their musical tastes as well!
Photo credit: Chris Craymer
Keywords
Frederic Chiu, noon recitals, John Gerlach