In 1983 G. Henle Publishers launched its series of piano works by Debussy with these Arabesques, the most important of his early piano pieces. The edition is still amongst our most successful ones. The Arabesques were probably composed shortly before they was issued in November 1891. Following the works publication, it received little attention, but after 1906 it became one of the composers most popular works and now there arenumerous transcriptions for other instruments. The elegant and flowing ornamentation of the first Arabesque, which despite all of the movement also displays a certain motionless quality, has ensured the piece has a firm place in the pianists repertoire, including that of the talented amateur. Edited by Ernst-Gunter Heinemann with fingerings by Hans-Martin Theopold and a detailed preface by Francois Lesure. |
