Debussy: Preludes, Vol. 2

Michelangeli was such a weird guy (he spent his life as a veritable recluse and protected his privacy with attack dogs) and made so few recordings that everything he did arouses interest if only by virtue of its scarcity. A lot of his interpretations came out sounding pretty strange, but in Debussy he was one of the supreme keyboard geniuses of our age and, as if sensing this natural affinity, he recorded a generous selection of the great French composer's piano works. Recorded ten years after his release of Book 1 of the Preludes, this set shows the same sensitively of touch, the same extraordinary clarity of texture, and the same almost frightening powers of concentration. Stunning. --David Hurwitz