who is the best debussy interpretor?

[musical_fingers]

i am currently playing thru some of the preludes, sadly everybody seems to play debussy totally differently!!!and its confusing me!.. whose interpretation is the best?
 

[brewtality]

you can't go wrong with Gieseking. His tonal control is exquisite

[Regulus Medtner]

Don't succumb to the "best approach" attitude, it's not going to help you much as a musician. Try Gieseking, as mentioned, and of course Michelangeli.

[shasta]

The best Debussy interpreter??  Why, Debussy, of course!!  Have a look here:

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005IC03/qid%3D1106311827/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-9959599-4747221

[Pianoquake]

Zoltan Kocsis is wonderful. I have wonderful performances by Gilels,
Michelangeli (of course)...  but there is no best.

[anda]

The best Debussy interpreter??  Why, Debussy, of course!!  Have a look here:

i don't like debussy as pianist at all - and especially his performing his own works!

i think such wonderful works deserve more than this... 

[ravel]

gieseking, roge, weissenberg, michelangeli are great, i think the zimmerman recordings of the preludes is really amazing as well.

[Nordlys]

Ah, Debussy!

Gieseking was long regarded as the ultimate Debussy interpreter. And he does have some wonderful pedal effects and tonal colouring. But I find he lacks something of the capriciousness and humour in Debussy, which is also very important. Try Cortot's recording of the preludes, they are completely opposite and very interesting (allthough I don't agree with them either).

The recording with Debussy himself playing I have, and it is also very interesting. He does some things which no modern pianist would dare to do with Debussy. But Debussy was of course not first and foremost a pianist. Besides it is piano roll recordings, and cannot be completely trusted.

[pianowelsh]

Listen to as many really radically different people as you can then make up your own mind - Don't be a slave to fashion - SO boring!!

[claudio20]

I like Gieseking,but not always.Sometimes in Debussy needs real fortessimo which he does quite do it.
Arrau's interpretation of the preludes,image(book 1 and 2) are really interesting,not the usual way.

[Troldhaugen]

I can't say who's better than whom...but I think Cliburn's 1972 recording is pretty good.

[dmk]

I like Gieseking,but not always.Sometimes in Debussy needs real fortessimo which he does quite do it.
Arrau's interpretation of the preludes,image(book 1 and 2) are really interesting,not the usual way.

I agree with you, Arrau's interpretation of the Preludes and Images are very different to the oft considered 'seminal' recordings of Gieseking.  It is much less of a 'wash of colour'.  Funny thing is, that I really like them both, just in different ways!! 

I guess just listen to as many as you can and draw from all of them.  Its no use trying to copy a recording, it will just end up sounding like someone copying Gieseking rather than an individual performance of the work.