Brendan Coyle:Downton Abbey Brings Debussy to the Temple (HITC)

The well-known pianist, Lucy Parham, has teamed up with Brendan Coyle, better known as John Bates from the popular series, Downtown Abbey, to make sumptuous music together.

Brendan’s role was to lure us into the rather complicated life of Claude Debussy, while Lucy played suitable musical illustration to the informative text. If this sounds a bit instructive and boring it certainly was not; I never realized what a complicated life Debussy led and how this is reflected so clearly in his music.

This boy genius from humble background was accepted at the world famous Conservatoire in Paris at the age of 10, and won the coveted Prix de Rome allowing him a two-year stay at the Villa Medici with other artists. Much reason for joy, one would have thought. But not so for Debussy, who struggled vehemently to find his own way, his unique way of representing his feelings about his life and the world  in which he lived in in his music. Only very close friends were not seen by him as a hindrance to that. His many women and two wives didn't give him much to enjoy, either.

READ MORE: http://hereisthecity.com/2012/11/01/downton-abbey-brings-debussy-to-the-temple/