Debussy’s Twelve Études have long been regarded as being among the most enigmatic of his piano works — and have thus been among the least often performed. Chilean-American virtuoso Paulina Zamora, however, is one of today’s more adventurous leading pianists championing these keyboard masterpieces.

In this second Delos album featuring her artistry, Paulina’s brilliant performances of Debussy’s seldom-heard études attest to both her technical powers and interpretive acumen. And she continues to prove to her audiences that — beneath these studies’ outer veneers of finger-twisting technical difficulty — lie marvels of rare atmosphere, tone color and sheer beauty.

Track Listing

    Book I

  1. Pour les cinq doigts, d’après Monsieur Czerny (five fingers, after M. Czerny) (3:22)
  2. Pour les tierces (thirds) (3:41)
  3. Pour les quartes (fourths) (5:25)
  4. Pour les sixtes (sixths) (4:04)
  5. Pour les octaves (octaves) (2:56)
  6. Pour les huit doigts (eight fingers) (1:39)

    7. Book II

  7. Pour les degrés chromatiques (chromatic degrees) (2:40)
  8. Pour les agréments (ornaments) (5:49)
  9. Pour les notes répétées (repeated notes) (3:21)
  10. Pour les sonorités opposées (opposing sonorities) (6:13)
  11. Pour les arpèges composés (composite arpeggios) (5:01)
  12. Pour les accords (chords) (4:49)