Time now for a peaceful musical interlude. Listen to Canadian harpist, Kristan Toczko, play Claude Debussy’s romantic composition, Clair de Lune. It was recorded live on May 12, 2014 at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, ON, Canada, and later published on her YouTube channel, Kristan Toczko, August 5, 2014. This short classical piece, and her interpretation of it, are just beautiful!! Like a powerful haiku, it leaves you with a deeply peaceful feeling.
I later discovered a Digital Album Kristan Toczko posted on bandcamp, Dec 7, 2022: The Classics: Popular Classical Works for Solo Harp. Earlier on Oct 11, 2022, she also posted a video of her playing a Harp Cover of Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement on her YouTube channel. It is also included on her Classics digital album, for Streaming + Download.
I also found this beautiful performance of Claude Debussy “Clair de lune” by Angela Hewitt in a live concert for the Royal Conservatory of Music at Toronto’s Koerner Hall recorded for CBC Music.
This rendition of Claude Debussy – Suite Bergamasque – Clair de Lune by the famous French-American pianist François-Joël Thiollier is sublime! I also found it as Clair de Lune (Moonlight) showing the album cover.
Apparently, Clair de Lune, was a French poem written by Paul Verlaine in 1869, and became the inspiration for the third and most famous movement of Debussy’s 1890 Suite Bergamasque of the same name.
On January 4, 2018, CBC Music, Classical Genre, posted 10 surprisingly good covers of Debussy’s ‘Clair de lune’. Robert Rowat says: “Expect to see lots of tributes to Claude Debussy in 2018, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of his death.” Videos of the 10 performances are by Theremin and piano, Electric guitar, Jazz saxophone, Accordion, Men’s choir and piano, Bassoon sextet, Brass quintet, Clarinet quartet, Organ, and Orchestra. Rowat concludes by reminding us how awesome Debussy’s original is with a video of the Angela Hewitt performance listed above. Explore more with Top 10 piano works by Claude Debussy.
Debussy’s Clair de Lune, arranged for guitar by James Edwards, is beautifully interpreted by Roxane Elfasci, Oct 3, 2016, Paris.
Lang Lang wowed tourists in the ‘City of Love’ on Valentine’s Day 2019 as he gave a unique album launch concert in Paris on a boat cruising along the Seine, performing pieces from his new album, Piano Book, such as the French classic ‘Clair de lune’ by Claude Debussy. Enjoy Lang Lang – Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L.75 3.Clair de lune.
You can actually hear Debussy playing Clair de Lune (1913), recorded on a piano roll, Claude Debussy plays Debussy. It is included in the Complete recordings made by Claude Debussy: The Composer as Pianist. Compilation from all Debussy recordings available “Claude Debussy Plays His Finest Works” (1904-1913).
New (Nov 14, 2022): Listen to Serbian harpist Nadja Dornik perform her transcription of Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu Op.66. Also beautiful!
Later added (March 18, 2023): Harpist Nadja Dornik beautifully performs Claude Debussy’s romantic composition Clair de Lune
Norman McLaren’s 1968 NFB film ‘Pas de deux’ creates a spellbinding aesthetic experience
Tags: church of the holy trinity, claire de lune, classical music, claude debussy, harp music, harpist, karen toczko, romantic music, toronto canada
The Uncarved Blog 
July 11, 2018 at 8:25 am |
[…] Listen to Canadian harpist Kristan Toczko perform Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune. Just beautiful! […]
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September 26, 2018 at 12:22 am |
[…] on my blog, like this harp music performed in nature; Canadian harpist Kristan Toczko performing Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune; a kind of musical onomatopoeia in Bill Evans’s Peace Piece; the hauntingly beautiful music of […]
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