So, after seeing how much response the thread about preferred recordings of the Beethoven piano sonata cycle got, I thought I'd start one about Debussy's preludes.

I'm only really familiar with the preludes from book I, but I've been meaning to get a complete recording of both books for some time now.

So far I have not heard a recording of the preludes which jump out at me to go out and buy a copy, but this is probably through lack of listening.

What I have heard, and some thoughts:

Noriko Oawa - quite good, but just seemed to be lacking something, a little lifeless in places.

Krystian Zimerman - very precise, but some weird interpretaions of small passages, gave me the impression the man was a little crazy.

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet - found his interpretation a bit too flamboyant on the whole; it works well in some of the more overtly colourful preludes, but I thought it was let down by his playing of more introspective ones, and a tendency to be a bit rash with some passages.

I also have a cd with various Debussy piano works on performed by Ronan O'Hara, the preludes he plays here are probably my favourite recordings of them at the moment - very honest interpretations, sensitive to the various tones employed by Debussy, and he doesn't do anything too radical.
I have also heard a recording of Mr Debussy playing one of the preludes himself, no.10 from book 1; La Cathedrale engloutie, although I have to say I'm not a fan of that at all, he plays some of it in double time, when thats not how he wrote it!

What's everyone elses favourite recordings/pet hates?

I have listened to many recordings of these. Michelangeli is particulalry good, but the set I plumped for is by Jacques Rouvier on the Denon label. I dont like Zimmerman.
For a budget priced set, try Francois-Joel Thollier on Naxos. I dont have the Preludes, but the other Debussy Piano music in this series is excellent.

I have the Thollier recording of Debussy on Naxos Vol 1 and 2, i think the preludes are Vol3. He understands this music very well, and i'd recommend them. Also have that Ronan O'Hora CD, which i play quite a lot. Giesekings and Michelangelis are two that always seem to be held in high regard. The Bavouzet has recieved some excellent reviews though i have'nt heard it yet. The one i really like which was released last year was Stephen Osborne on the Hyperion label, as a tone colourist he has few peers, and i'd strongly recommend this CD. You say ''nothing has really grabbed you'' so far that you've heard, well to be honest much as i love this music it does'nt really 'grab me' either, for myself it just is'nt that type of music , it's dreamlike, hypnotic and distant, even in the fortissimos. But maybe that's just my opinion.

Ogawa's Preludes are as close as you're going to get to definitive recordings as far as im concerned. She observes the tiniest little details in the music, down to the smallest hairpin.

I have the Debussy CD also- he didnt just record La Cathedrale Engloutie, there is also Danseuses de Delphes, Vent dans la plaine, Danse de Puck and Minstrels. And if you read the insert, it says that he himself wasnt happy with the majority of the recordings on there- I think it was just Danse de Puck and Soiree dans Grenade he felt they'd done a good job with.

Walter Gieseking is the master for Debussy music. He has recorded all the piano repertoire of Debussy in 1950s, and also some of his music in 1920s. Both of them are mono. I have just heard the former one, and they are great. Michelangeli's recordings are popular too, but music critics don't like them much. I have just seen him playing in the youtube, so I can't give any comments. Alfred Cortot, another French master, also has recorded Debussy Preludes Book 1, his tempo is faster than Gieseking and Michelangeli's, but that doesn't affect the impressionistic mood. But his recordings is mono (1930s), and he sometimes play the wrong notes. There should also be some more masters nowadays, like Fou T'song. Debussy himself had also recorded some of his preludes in the 1900s and 1910s. I haven't heard of them. Sound quality is very bad, I guess, but you can take it as a kind of reference.

I don't think there is one definitive recording. The Preludes demand such a variety of touch and style that it is all but impossible for one pianist to give equally fine renditions of all of them. Pascal Roge's recording is very nice for most of them, and the few that demand a brighter tone, more spiritied attack, and more "classical" style are well done by Krystian Zimerman.

Between the two of them I think you have it all.

The trouble with the old masters is poor sound quality - microphones and electronics just weren't as good then, and live takes - complete with wrong notes. You can happily ignore a few wrong notes at a real live recital, but on a recording that gets listened to over and over they soon ruin your enjoyment.

p.s. My first Debussy disk was the Walter Geiseking recording of Images, Suite Bergamasque, Childrens corner, Estampes, ...

It is very accomplished, and I used to think it was wonderful (well it is in a way - I am in awe of his control at speed in "Jardins sous la pluie"). But when I started to learn some of those pieces for myself I was VERY disappointed to find that in many of them he completely ignores a lot of Debussy's very explicit markings for dynamics and articulation.