TERRY LYNN HUDSON

• Debussy: Préludes: Book I - La fille aux cheveux de lin

"Whether heard as musical poetry, visual imagery, or abstract studies in Debussy’s unique harmonies, the two books of the Préludes are a monument to his imagination and testimony to how radically Debussy altered piano style... I am musing on how flexible these pieces are because Terry Lynn Hudson does such as excellent job bringing out every facet in her performance. This is an exceptional set of the complete Préludes, fully the equal of versions issued in the 2018 Debussy centennial year... [Hudson] is a specialist in French music, and it shows: her touch is delicate and nuanced, she effortlessly creates an ethereal mood, and her musical instincts are cultivated to a fine degree. It takes these qualities to be truly convincing in the Préludes... Hudson is among the two or three most gifted [university pianists] I’ve heard, and I can enthusiastically recommend her Debussy. MSR’s recorded sound of the piano is also first-rate and very lifelike."

Huntley Dent, Fanfare [January/February 2022]

“[Terry Lynn Hudson] certainly has the measure of Claude Debussy’s immortal Preludes... Hudson knows this music very well and approaches it with a fine, graded, and intimate sensibility. There is smoothness to her method that is enhanced by the warm and equally intimate sound that MSR provides... a real pleasure on the ears. Easily recommended then, even as a first choice in this repertory.”

Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition [September 2018]

"Her Clair de lune is finely etched."

Harriet Smith, Gramophone [September 2018]

[ * * * * ] “Although there is no musical reason to perform all 24 of Debussy’s Préludes for Piano as a set, the full grouping is a tour de force for pianists and produces an intriguingly involving effect on listeners who hear the works from start to finish, or at least listen to Book I straight through and subsequently to all of Book II... Terry Lynn Hudson’s exemplary reading of both books of Préludes, a two-CD set from MSR Classics that is being sold for the price of a single disc, is an excellent introduction to the music for anyone unfamiliar with it – and stands up very well against other recordings, for those who know the material already. Hudson is especially adept at gently evoking Debussy’s scenes of quietude and sadness... Debussy’s piano music, generally speaking, is subtle and understated [and] this is precisely where Hudson excels. She does not over-sentimentalize these pieces and, indeed, does not over-interpret the ones that benefit from direct and straightforward presentation... If there is a single word that seems to describe both books of Préludes, it would be “fluidity” – of expression, or rhythm, of tempo, of coloration, of texture. Hudson is quite sensitive to this characteristic, with the result that her performance imparts a certain overarching connectedness among the works even in the absence of a predetermined relatedness through keys. Hudson also has a keen sense of wit and humor when those are called for... By any measure, these are neatly tied-up performances, both of individual pieces as miniatures and as an entire set of 24 little pianistic gems.”

Mark J. Estren, InfoDad [June 2018]

“Terry Lynn Hudson’s account of the Preludes stands very well with the more illustrious pianists in this review [like Gulda and Barenboim]... American Terry Lynn Hudson has an impressive biography... With a number publications to her credit, it is no surprise that her booklet essay is top notch... The performances are clear and rhythmically very precise. She brings a tremendous variety of piano colors to this music. Her technique is solid and doesn’t flinch... I’d recommend Hudson to anyone as a first set of Preludes. They are solid interpretations, very well played, that put the music first and foremost.”

Harrington, American Record Guide [July/August 2018]

“...pianist Terry Lynn Hudson makes a strong argument for these pieces. She doesn’t try to turn them into anything more exciting than what they are, but through her deep feeling for them and her understated virtuosity she shows how Debussy’s musical impressionism can be deeply engaging on its own terms. Her playing makes me feel like I need to explore further, and she’s the first pianist to achieve that. With me, anyway.”

Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist - New Releases for Libraries [June 2018]

“[Terry Lynn Hudson] has a special affinity for the piano music of Claude Debussy, whom she reveres as one who constantly endeavored to expand the capabilities of the instrument. Seen in this light, the two books of Preludes were a “natural” for this artist... Armed with a very impressive arsenal of technical skills, including an exceptional left hand, Terry Lynn Hudson obviously relishes her exploration of both the tonal and the descriptive riches of the Preludes.”

Phil Muse, Audio Society of Atlanta [March 2018]

The Préludes of Claude Debussy have long been part of the standard repertoire; one would be challenged to find a pianist who has not performed or taught at least one of these works. This is hardly surprising, as they serve as stunning displays of the composer’s musical inventiveness blended with a mastery of the keyboard idiom. The Préludes are rather late in Debussy’s output, with Book I completed in 1910 and Book II in 1913. By this point, he had progressed beyond those early works that referenced the past (Ballade, Pour le Piano) and had produced a number of the masterpieces indicative of his mature style (the two sets of Images). The Préludes exhibit all of the hallmarks of this musical maturity - including harmonic sophistication, rhythmic intricacy, formal fluidity - and adding to their appeal, each Prélude evokes a specific image, character, legend, or poem, allowing for exceptional interest and variety in these twenty-four compact pieces.

Since their publication, the Debussy Préludes have remained among the mainstays of the literature, enduringly appealing because the composer leads us on a journey through isolation, serenity, mysticism, whimsy, reverence, and power in a most imaginative fashion. In Debussy: His Life and Mind (Cambridge University Press, 1979), biographer Edward Lockspeiser described the Préludes as a “quest for visions as yet unrecorded in music.” What a lovely way to crystallize what Debussy accomplished in composing these works!
[Terry Lynn Hudson, November 2017]


Terry Lynn Hudson is a committed and well-rounded performer, having presented recitals as a soloist, duo pianist and chamber musician in Europe, Central America and throughout the United States. She has a special affinity for French piano literature and contemporary ensemble works, and her programs often feature this repertoire. Recent recitals include performances of Debussy’s complete Préludes in Paris, a program of new American music for duo piano in London, two recitals on the Mozart Klaviersonaten series in Salzburg, solo recitals in Graz and San José (Costa Rica), duo recitals in Munich and Bremen, and guest programs presented across the United States. She is a frequent adjudicator for piano festivals and competitions and has given demonstrations and master classes at the London College of Music, Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, Universidad de Costa Rica, University of South Carolina, Abilene Christian University and the Peabody Institute. Other professional activity includes presentations and lecture-recitals at national, regional and state conferences of the Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society and Texas Music Educators Association. Hudson is an MSR and PARMA recording artist, and has been published in American Music Teacher, College Music Symposium and the MTNA E-Journal. She has been a prizewinner in numerous state and regional competitions and in the International Piano Recording Competition, and also has been honored for academic and leadership accomplishments. A native of Maryland, Hudson began formal musical studies at the Peabody Institute’s Preparatory School, completing an Advanced Certificate in piano. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from James Madison University, Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a Doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was named the Couper Presidential Scholar in Piano Performance. Hudson is currently Associate Professor of Piano at Baylor University.
  CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
PRÉLUDES | BOOKS I & II

CD1 [41:01]
PRÉLUDES | BOOK I (1910)
Danseuses de Delphes [Delphic dancers]
Voiles [Sails/Veils]
Le vent dans la plaine [The wind on the plain]
“Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir”
[“Sounds and perfumes turn on the evening air”]
Les collines d’Anacapri [The hills of Anacapri]
Des pas sur la neige [Footprints in the snow]
Ce qu’a vu le Vent d’Ouest [What the West Wind has seen]
La fille aux cheveux de lin [The girl with the flaxen hair]
La sérénade interrompue [The interrupted serenade]
La Cathédrale engloutie [The sunken cathedral]
La danse de Puck [Puck’s dance]
Minstrels

CD2 [44:15]
PRÉLUDES | BOOK II (1913)
Brouillards [Mists]
Feuilles mortes [Dead leaves]
La Puerta del Vino [Wine Gate]
“Les fées sont d’exquises danseuses” [“The fairies are exquisite dancers”]
Bruyères [Moors]
“General Lavine” - excentric [“General Lavine,” eccentric]
La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune [The terrace for moonlight audiences]
Ondine [Undine]
Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C. [Homage to S. Pickwick, Esq., P.P.M.P.C.]
Canope [Canopic jar]
Les tierces alternées [Alternating thirds]
Feux d’artifice [Fireworks]

ENCORE
Clair de lune [from Suite bergamasque]
 



MSR Classics