Debussy wrote his two books of Etudes in the autumn of 1915. They are dedicated to the memory of Chopin, whose piano works he had been editing for the publisher Durand earlier in the year. As with Chopin's own Etudes, Debussy was able to combine specific technical demands with writing that was musically innovative. Perhaps the least well known of his major piano compositions, they also proved to be his last. The Etudes rely more on purely musical inspiration than do those vivid works that one normally associates with his style. However, the tenth piece, ''Pour les sonorites opposees'' is an exception; it contains that exotic ambience that one finds, for instance, in the Preludes.
Jacques Rouvier's Debussy has been much admired and again he reveals a firmly serious sense of style; perhaps a little too serious and objective for some tastes. Had not the recorded sound of this CD been so disappointing, this version would have been a reliable standby. As it is the piano tone is unpleasantly close, with a boxedin acoustic. The bass notes boom and the effectiveness of the contrast in the pianist's dynamic range is nullified. Only the quiet passages do justice to Rouvier's refinement. This eminently competent pianist is not heard to good advantage in this release.'