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Debussy was seriously ill at the outbreak of World War I, and struggled to compose. A wartime performance of the Saint-Saëns Septet prompted the composer to consider writing chamber music for the first time since his string quartet of 1893. The plan was for a sequence of six sonatas for diverse instruments, harking back to the 18th century practice in France. He viewed these works as a memorial to the young French soldiers killed in the trenches. The Cello Sonata was premiered in Paris in 1916 by a young infantryman on a cello made from an ammunition box and an old door. His health declining further, the Violin Sonata turned out to be his last work. The final three sonatas were never composed. This album concludes with three rarely heard piano pieces completed by Robert Orledge including the world premiere recording of A Night in the House of Usher. Album Tracks 1. Debussy Sonata for Cello & Piano - I Prologue Lent, Sostenuto E Molto Risoluto 2. Debussy Sonata for Cello & Piano - II Sérénade Modérément Animé 3. Debussy Sonata for Cello & Piano - III Final Animé, Leger Et Nerveux 4. Debussy Sonata for Flue, Viola & Harp - I Pastorale. Lento, Dolde Rubato 5. Debussy Sonata for Flue, Viola & Harp - II Interlude. Tempo Di Minuetto 6. Debussy Sonata for Flue, Viola & Harp - III Final. Allegro Moderato Ma Risoluto 7. Debussy Sonata for Violin & Piano - I Allegro Vivo 8. Debussy Sonata for Violin & Piano - II Intermède Fantasque Et Léger 9. Debussy Sonata for Violin & Piano - III Finale TRÈS Animé 10. Debussy Toomai Des Éléphants 11. Debussy Petite Valse 12. Debussy A Night in the House of Usher
