Syrinx (La Flute de Pan)

Syrinx (La Flute de Pan) for Solo Flute by Claude Debussy

Edited by Michael Stegemann and Anders Ljungar-Chapelon

The posthumous edition of Debussy’s Syrinx has for a long time been regarded as the only known source. However, this new edition by Wiener Urtext Edition is based on a manuscript discovered some years ago. La Flute de Pan was first performed in 1913 by Louis Fleury as accompaniment to the play ‘Psyché’ by Gabriel Mourey. The manuscript was discovered in the area where Debussy and Louis Fleury were at the time. This source has made it possible to assign both parts of the work precisely to the corresponding text in the drama. This has been documented through extensive use of pictures and text in the publication.

Forward by Alain Marion

The appearance of this new edition of Claude Debussy’s Syrinx fills me with great pleasure.  While it is a well-known fact that this central piece of the flute repertoire has been printed on several occasions, it is doubtlessly this edition which is the result of the most serious and comprehensive research. Thanks to the critical analysis by Michael Stegemann and the interpretational comments by the flautist Anders Ljungar-Chapelon, the recently discovered manuscript presented in this edition is combined with other relevant documents in a manner that serves to pose – and shed light upon – important new questions and items of discussion.  In a manner that is unique to my experience, this volume provides responses to key questions of interpretation by establishing a link to the work’s historical context.  I am convinced that this edition will establish itself as a reference work for all flautists and friends of Debussy’s music.