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Rachmaninoff vs Debussy

post #1 of 12
8/7/09 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
It seemed to me that neither of these composers have been getting their due respect on head-fi. I know that they're two very different composers, but personally they're my two favorite. This is not a genre war, french impressionists vs the russians, rather composer vs composer, who do you think is better?
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post #2 of 12
8/8/09 at 12:17am
I don't think either is "better", because like you say, they're so different. Debussy was certainly the more progessive, inventive, atmospheric. Yet Rach so brilliantly seemed to tie up all the loose ends of the Russian Nationalists. Oddly enough though, at least for me, despite the enormous output each of them created, I listen to a fairly small part of each of their works. For Rach it's essentially the symphonies and symphonic poems, piano concertos 2,3 and Paganini, and ocassionally the operas. For Debussy it's the orchestral music, the opera, and that's it. I know only a bit of each composers' piano music -- which is what they're famous for! And I don't care for the chamber music of either. I also should say that the reason that I voted for Rach is simple: the Second Symphony. One of my desert isle disks.
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post #3 of 12
8/8/09 at 2:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbhaub View Post
I also should say that the reason that I voted for Rach is simple: the Second Symphony. One of my desert isle disks.
Just make sure that "Isle of the Dead" is not on the same CD.

I don't know how to compare the two. I'm much more familiar with Rachmaninoff. The only Debussy that I have is "La Mer". I haven't listened to enough Debussy to be able to make that sort of determination.
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post #4 of 12
8/8/09 at 2:31am
I got to be honest, I really am not a fan of Debussy and the impressionist genre in general, just not my cup of tea. I do, however, love the nationalist Russians and love Rach!
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post #5 of 12
8/8/09 at 4:19am
Debussy is probably in the top 10 most progressive and inventive composers of all time. Rachmaninov is not. Debussy's music is flexible, poetic and subtle. Rachmaninov's derivative music simply offers surfaces and easy emotions.

No contest.
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post #6 of 12
8/10/09 at 12:59am
Both are incredibly good, but I much prefer Rachmaninoff's style. His Piano Concertos and Symphonies are simply amazing and his Variations on Paganini are probably the best I've heard. I'm a fan of Russian composers.
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post #7 of 12
8/10/09 at 4:21am
I adore Rachmaninoff. Playing his stuff on my piano is incredibly fun.
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post #8 of 12
8/10/09 at 5:28am
I love both composers' music intensely.

In solo piano music I had to go with Debussy. In orchestral music I had to go with Debussy as well. But in the Concerti section I adore Rachmaninov. In Opera, Debussy's one opera is stronger than Rach's bunch..............

In the end I went with Debussy, but I think that could change tomorrow. When I'm really sad I reach out to Rachmaninov more. When I'm happier or just plain stable, I reach out to Debussy whose music is more introverted.

In terms of innovation Debussy is definitely more important. Harmonically Debussy was a major leap from his predecessors, whereas Rachmaninov was very much a composer in the tradition of Tchaikovsky....

Both were great for different reasons...............But I have to with Debussy.
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post #9 of 12
8/11/09 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbhaub View Post
I also should say that the reason that I voted for Rach is simple: the Second Symphony. One of my desert isle disks.
Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony is darn good and strangely familiar. I didn't have it in my collection (my classical collection is far too small) so I had to go get it. I listened to it and the themes were all familiar as if I had heard it all before, but where and when? It's a keeper and destined for regular rotation, but now I'm left wondering why it is already familiar to me.

(I still don't have any more Debussy)
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post #10 of 12
8/11/09 at 10:01pm
Must be all that Barry Manilow you've been listening to. He borrowed several of the themes for some of "his" songs. Seems so wrong, but its legal.
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post #11 of 12
8/12/09 at 7:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbhaub View Post
Must be all that Barry Manilow you've been listening to. He borrowed several of the themes for some of "his" songs. Seems so wrong, but its legal.
That would be hilarious if true. I don't listen to Barry Manilow except when subjected to muzak. I listened to "If I Should Love Again" by Barry Mainlow on YouTube. There is some of the 2nd Symphony going on in there, but not enough for the feeling of deja vu I got. I'm guessing that I have heard it before on the radio and it has stuck with me without me knowing what it was (that's one thing I don't like about listening to classical on the radio).
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post #12 of 12
8/13/09 at 1:32am
I've been really enjoying Debussy and Ravel lately, so I went with Debussy. Today.
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