Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson says he thinks of the composers on his new album, Debussy – Rameau, as "painters in sound." Ari Magg/Deutsche Grammophon hide caption
Claude Debussy Claude Debussy artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Claude Debussy
Jeremy Denk's c.1300-c.2000 comes out Feb. 8 on Nonesuch. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Claude Debussy, photographed ca. 1908. He died 100 years ago on March 25, 1918. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Claude Debussy Plays His Own Jazzy 'La Plus Que Lente'
Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a concert of powerhouse orchestral works at Carnegie Hall. AJ Wilhelm for NPR Music hide caption
Carnegie Hall Live: The Chicago Symphony Plays A Colorful Concert
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Composer John Luther Adams accepts enthusiastic applause from the Carnegie Hall audience after the New York premiere of his 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning piece, Become Ocean, performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Melanie Burford/for NPR Music hide caption
Seattle Symphony, New Pulitzer Winner At Carnegie Hall
Reneé Fleming (right) and Susan Graham — two "cheerful Americans" often mistaken for each other — are planning an intimate evening of French song. Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging hide caption
Reneé Fleming And Susan Graham At Carnegie Hall
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Another solid album from Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz shows he's an artist of distinction. Felix Broede/DG hide caption
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) ignored the old rules about how to write music and created a brave new world of sonic possibilities. adoc-photos/Corbis hide caption
The young pianist Inon Barnatan plays Debussy and Ravel with striking assurance. Avie Records hide caption
Claude Achille Debussy in a 1909 portrait. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
Soprano Cheryl Barker (as Jenůfa) and tenor Peter Wedd (as Luca) sing in a production of Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa from Opera Australia. Patrick Riviere/Getty Images hide caption
Conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas. Chris Wahlberg/courtesy of the artist hide caption
Soprano Karita Mattila and pianist Martin Katz perform live at Carnegie Hall: December 10, 2011. Melanie Burford for NPR hide caption
The Ebène Quartet plays everything from surf rock and jazz standards to Debussy and Ravel. Frank Stewart/Savannah Music Festival hide caption
Ebene Quartet: The Art Of The French String Quartet
Dmitri Shostakovich topped our informal "who's the most badass composer" poll. Roger Rosing/Wikimedia/Deutshe Fotothek hide caption
Can classical music get down and party? Photo Illustration: Lars Gotrich/Photos: Hulton Archive/Getty Images, iStock. hide caption
The adventurous Ebene Quartet kicks off a week of live chamber music at the Greene Space at WQXR in New York. Herve Martin/Virgin Classics hide caption
Chamber Music In The Greene Space: The Ebene Quartet
Janine Jansen's career took off when she released one of the first classical hits on iTunes. Sara Wilson/Decca hide caption
Claude Debussy counted a number of artists, musicians and socialites among his friends at the turn of the 20th century. Getty Images hide caption
String Quartet in G Minor: II.Assez vif et bien rytme (Brooklyn Rider)
The Paris-based Ebène Quartet mixes pop and jazz pieces into its straight-ahead classical concerts. hide caption