Volume I in Austbø’s series of Debussy complete works for piano solo on Simax Classics is more than promising. Truly sensational readings of these masterworks from one of the most unconventional pianists on the scene today.
Debussy beyond pianism
It is sometimes said that Debussy brought out resources from the piano that no one knew were in there. Certainly his ability to ‘orchestrate’ magnificently for this one instrument had never been heard before. When listening to Austbø playing Debussy, you are taken away from the keyboard and directly into the sonorous, shifting, constantly expanding and contracting musical spheres of the music.
Reference recordings
Håkon Austbø’s career has developed in very close connection with his choice of repertoire. He became known worldwide for his recordings of the Skryabin sonatas with Simax in the late 1980s, still reference recordings of the pieces today. Austbø’s recordings of and close collaboration with Messiaen in the 1990s earned him even further praise. For quite some time Simax has been planning this series with Håkon, and we are extremely proud to be able to present you with what we se as yet another yardstick from this fantastic musician.
