MUSIC REVIEWS : CICCOLINI PLAYS DEBUSSY AT AMBASSADOR

Aldo Ciccolini undertook the task of playing both Books I and II of the Preludes for piano by Debussy at his recital in Ambassador Auditorium on Sunday night, and the audience filled both house and orchestra pit, applauded lustily and demanded three encores.

A careerlong specialist in French music, Ciccolini offered many pleasures and few arguments in his account of the 24 preludes. If his Debussy sounded sometimes a little leaner than completely desirable, some of that could be attributed to his choice of a Boesendorfer piano of limited reverberant sonority and a brittle upper treble.

In the main, Ciccolini approaches Debussy traditionally. He makes no attempt to orchestrate the colors or to magnify the scope of the music. The playing is not so muted as it is delicate. The instrument prevented a complete blend of colorations; in consequence, there was more linear drawing than broad brushwork of tone color.

The pianist’s sensitivity generally atoned for these hindrances. He suggested a little blow in “Le vent dans la plaine” without stirring up a storm, reserving the larger gesture for “Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest.” He imbued “La fille aux cheveux de lin” with tenderness unmarred by sentiment. He captured the Iberian accent of “La Puerta del Vino,” evoked mists and clouds in “Brouillards” and dealt in cheery wit in “Minstrels” and “General Lavine--eccentric.” And rather than utilizing “Les tierces alternees” and “Feux d’artifice” for virtuoso display, he allowed them to demonstrate Debussy’s keyboard ingenuity.

The Debussy encores were “Clair de lune,” “La plus que lent” and the prelude to the “Pour le piano” suite.