The Life and Art of Claude Debussy, with Susan Waterfall

Join us for the exciting premiere of Susan Waterfall’s new film The Life and Art of Claude Debussy. Immerse yourself in the composer’s world, and enhance your experience of the many Debussy offerings in this summer’s Festival: the Festival Orchestra’s Afternoon of a Faun, the Calder’s performance of the String Quartet, Spencer Myer’s Pour le Piano, and the two narrated chamber music concerts Breakfast with Chou-Chou and Sounds and Perfumes of Evening.

Waterfall’s fascinating film offers you an overview of Debussy’s major works and relationships, with over 125 photographs and images, and excerpts from 18 works. You are guaranteed a pleasurable afternoon in the Belle Époque, learning how Debussy’s beautiful and radical music gave birth to 20th century modernism.

Written and directed by Susan Waterfall.
Art and photograph collection by Mina Cohen.
Filmed and edited by Julian Pollack.

This virtual event is now available for replay without cost.

Debussy: 2022 Featured Composer

For 2022, Susan Waterfall’s composer series will feature the innovative and influential Claude Debussy. Immerse yourself in his world and his music, and understand how his music evolved over his lifetime with narrated chamber recitals featuring exciting guest artists, and various other settings of Debussy’s work across the Festival.

Explore the Series

If you’d like to familiarize yourself with some of this music in advance, we recommend the following recordings and notes: String Quartet performance,  String Quartet notes, more String Quartet notes, Afternoon of a Faun performance, Faun notes.

Waterfall’s productions always present exciting, absorbing playing of great music, but are also rare, distinctive examples of what can be called music education, though they’re more conversational, truly a sharing of perspective, interest, anecdote. There’s a sense of immediacy to her delivery, weaving in and out of the playing, an intimately conceived present awareness of this heritage. It’s something unique that needs to be experienced.” -Ken Bullock, Berkeley Daily Planet