Ludwig van Toronto

Comparison: Not all pianistic fireworks are created equal

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall will see the Ashbridges Bay fireworks tonight (Brian Henry photo).

In honour of Victoria Day and the many different types of fireworks thousands will enjoy tonight, here are three different ways of playing Claude Debussy’s Feux d’artifice, the 12th from Vol. II of his Préludes.

The first is Canadian-born Marc André Hamelin, performing in New York City in 2007. The second is Italian Maurizio Pollini, in Japan  year earlier (with apologies for the out-of sync video). The third is the legendary French pianist Robert Casadesus, who died in 1972:

John Terauds