Debussy, "La Plus que Lente", waltz

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a particular way of composing waltzes became popular in Paris, constituting a genre in its own right. It was called "slow waltz" and, as you might expect, it was played very slowly. Acclaimed by the public and preferred by the interpreters, the slow waltz swept the Parisian ballrooms and cafes in versions of simple musical groups, which Claude Debussy must have heard more than once, taking the idea somewhat sarcastically, to compose a waltz slower than any other.

Molto rubato con morbidezza
But Debussy's irony in relation to tempo only went as far as the title. The waltz La plus que lente, which could be roughly translated as "the even slower waltz", is a piece for piano (there is an orchestral version by Debussy himself) that should be played at normal speed, in no case with extreme slowness. And this is clear from the tempo indication that Debussy himself marked for the piece: molto rubato con morbidezza, that is, something like "very free and with tenderness", without highlighting any "speed". The title was only humorous, perhaps in an attempt to emulate his former friend Erik Satie.

C. Debussy (1862 - 1918)

The little work, lasting no more than five minutes (considering the obstinate interpreters of the title... there are some) appeared shortly after the publication of Book I of The Preludes, in 1910. By that time, the master had already composed his major works, which he would complete with Book II of the Preludes, in 1912, and the Twelve Etudes, in 1915.

Three years later, colon cancer will end the life of the French composer, in March 1918, at the age of 55, in the middle of the aerial bombardment of Paris, four days after the beginning of the German Spring Offensive. A miserable cortege would accompany the coffin through the deserted streets of a besieged city.

The rendition is by South Korean pianist Seong-jin Cho, winner of the First Prize at the International Chopin Competition, Warsaw, 2015.