What's the best recording of this piece. I think there is one by Van Cliburn, but not a lot of great pianist's like Horowitz or Richter recorded this song.

Richter did record clair de lune


Have a listen: Link

Try Kathryn Stott or Martin Jones.

I don't know whether Gieseking recorded it but he was a superb Debussy player so it might be worth finding out.

Gieseking recorded all of Debussy's piano music. It's available on CD.

Personally, I like Victor Borge's...but you really have to dig to find him playing the entire thing straight. It is out there, though, and the recording I listened to was brilliant.

You might also look for recordings of Suite Bergamasque, of which Clair de Lune is the 3rd movement.

Folks have already pointed out Gieseking and Richter, but Thibaudet has also recorded all of Debussy, including this work. A quick check of ArkivMusic shows a number of other recordings: Ciccolini, Pascal Roge, Klára Körmendi, François-Joël Thiollier and quite a few others.

Incidentally, if you have never looked at the web site for ArkivMusic ( www.arkivmusic.com ) , they have an excellent browsing tool for tracking down all the different performances of a particular work (as well as a lot of other nifty search features).

My two very favorites are Leon Fleisher's on his new "Two Hands" CD and Shura Cherkassky on one of his Quicksilva-label CDs. They're very different from one-another, but both are just beautiful.

Also Martino Tirimo - a very fine Debussy interpreter.

Victor Borge played it for his 80th birthday concert at Wolftrap, which should be available on videotape.

--Cy--

the best recording would be mine
if i could record it

The "evening piano" CD has a good recording. That's the CD I use for this song.

-The T

Based on all the versions I've heard, I would have to say Hofmann. It is very different from how most pianists play it, sweet and unsentimental, but it has the most magical tone I've ever heard and moves me greatly.

I was delighted to hear Hofmanniac mention Hofmann's Clair de Lune. I was stunned when I first heard it and still am. Beautiful, unaffected playing. Very different than what we're used to...

FYI, this is my first post and am happy to be a part of this forum.