I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the celebrated pianist Nicolas Horvath for enthusiastically
bringing my Debussy works to public attention in their solo piano formats, both through his recent
recitals across France and through this Naxos Grand Piano release (GP822). In some cases these are
true piano pieces (like Toomai des éléphants), in others they are piano reductions of orchestral scores
(like Fêtes galantes), while in others they are piano solos in their own right that also exist in orchestral
versions (as in the incidental music for Le Roi Lear). Needless to say, most of these tracks are world
première recordings, and this is certainly true of A Night in the House of Usher and its companion piece Un Jour affreux avec Le Diable dans le beffroi (?A Dreadful Day with the Devil in the Belfry?) which I arranged specially for Nicolas in November 2018 as a virtuosic, almost Lisztian paraphrase-fantasy. To remind us of the plot as the dramatic scenes unfold, Un Jour affreux avec le Diable dans le beffroi, like the start of No-ja-li) has a narrator (spoken in French by Florient Azoulay on the Grand Piano recording):

[After an overture rising from the underworld, with a polka and a citation of a chldren?s folksong Savez vous plantez les choux?, a carillon rings out]: Hearing it, the Dutch villagers start to count, with the bells of the belfry / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 8, 9, 11, and 12 / Perfect! / 13!?!/ The bell rang 13 times / 13! / The Devil is here where the clock should be! / Damn! / The bells are cracked. / The Devil laughs fit to burst / He pulls from the pocket of his coat, a small dancing master?s violin / ?My God!? says the devil ? and he tunes his violin slowly / The Devil leads the villagers in a fantastic and relentless jig [making jokes at the expense of concertos by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky] / The Devil directs the villagers towards the canal ? where he jumps to the other side, laughing all the time / The villagers try to imitate him, but they fall into the water. / [In Part 2] the villagers are transported to a hedonistic and lively Italian village. They are similarly transformed: the men have crooked hats ? the women have wide open bodices! They dance a mad Tarantella / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 13 / shouting ?Hey there! (Hola?) / Jean, the young hero, makes a fervent prayer to God against the Devil / The prayer is answered and the bell again rings normally! / The expression of the Devil changes: he shudders! / Everything goes black / The devil disappears in a brief red glow ? / And the carillon and the bells chime as usual / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 / Perfect! / But the Devil?s grinning face ap-
pears once again where the clock should be ? briefly

Greatmusic, easy to learn. From the best-selling arranger, Misha Stefanuk, comes every piece you ever wanted to play, and now you can.Easy, masterful arrangements make everyone immediately sound great.For self learners- wonderful music without too much struggle, a greatsight-reading booster, for teachers- a great intermediate confidencebuilder, tons of fun for everyone! Music List: Morning,Hall of the Mountain King, Canon in D, Pomp and Circumstance, FürElise, Blue Danube, Spring, Beethoven Symphony No. 5, Chopin Nocturnein E-Flat Major, Gymnopédie 1, Bach Minuet In G, Bach Minuet In Dminor, Leopold Mozart Minuet in F, Ode to Joy, Brahms' Lullaby, Jesu,Joy Of Man's Desiring, The Skaters Waltz, Musette, Dance of the SugarPlum Fairy from the Nutcracker, Ave Maria, God Rest You, MerryGentlemen, Happy Farmer, Soldier's March, Poor Orphan, Wild Rider,Toreador Song from CARMEN, Rondo A La Turk, Joy to the World,Symphony No. 5, First Loss, Air on G string, Mozart Minuet in G,Mazurka in Bb, Brahms Waltz in A, Elves Dance, Schubert Waltz in B,Beethoven Russian Folk Song, Gurlitt Scherzo, Kohler Waltz,Arabesque, Morning Prayer, Old French Song, German Song, ItalianSong, Reverie, Sick Doll, Trumpet Tune, Teleman Menuet, LeopoldMozart Burlesque, Mozart Minuet in C, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Omio babbino caro, Nutcracker March, Waltz Of The Flowers, Lullabyfrom the Nutcracker, Grossfater from Nutcracker, BeethovenEccossaise, Brahms Hungarian Dance no. 5, Bach Little Prelude in C,Amazing Grace, Mozart Allegro, Wagner Wedding March, MendelssohnWedding March, Danny Boy, Waltz from Sleeping Beauty, William TellOverture, Lake by the Mountain, Trish Trash Polka, Ragtime, Musetta'sWaltz, March of the Little People, Serenade, March from Aida,Schubert Military March, Moonlight Sonata, Mozart Symphony no 40,Surprise Symphony, Jingle Bells, Cancan, Hallelujah Chorus,Westminster Chime, Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, Mozart Minuet in F, RameauRondo, Paganini Caprice, Happy Birthday, Sheep May Safely Graze,Tocatta in D minor, Skater's Waltz, Habanera, Humoresque, BoccheriniMinuet,The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, Chopsticks, Also SprachZaratustra, Barcarolle, Hava Nagila, La Donna E Mobile, March fromNutracker, Amazing Grace, Jingle Bells, and God Rest You MerryGentemen.