You Must Hear 7

impressionism

Last updated: Tue Oct 28 2025 08:34:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Description

Impressionism in music emphasizes atmosphere, color, and mood over traditional structure, using unconventional scales, unresolved harmonies, and delicate textures to evoke images and emotions. Originating in late 19th-century France as a parallel to the visual arts movement, it broke from Romantic-era conventions to capture fleeting moments and sensory experiences. The style creates dreamlike, shimmering soundscapes that suggest rather than directly state, prioritizing tone and ambiance.

100 chronological releases

Place	Cover	Date	Artist	Album	Tags	Other places
13		1955	The Louisville Orchestra	Français Moderne Premieres 2 - Francis Poulenc, André Jolivet, Henri Sauguet, Charles Koechlin, Marcel Grandjany & Ernest Guiraud
26		1957	New York Philharmonic Orchestra	Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 36 & 40 - Roussel: Symphony No. 3	classical impressionism symphony
45		1959	Philharmonia Orchestra	Debussy: La Mer, Le Martyre de saint Sébastien
41		1962	Claude Debussy	Walter Gieseking plays Debussy	impressionism
74		1963	Maurice Ravel	Ravel: Complete Orchestral Works	impressionism orchestral
25		1976	Claude Debussy	The Complete Works for Piano Vol. 1 (Gieseking)	impressionism
60		1976	Reinbert de Leeuw	Gnossiennes; Gymnopédies; Ogives; Trois Sarabandes; Petite ouverture à danser	impressionism
90		1976	Reinbert de Leeuw	Satie: Gnossiennes; Gymnopédies; Ogives; Trois Sarabandes; Petite ouverture à danser.	impressionism
34		1977	London Symphony Orchestra	Delius: Orchestral Works	classical french impressionism orchestra
94		1980	Erik Satie	Satie: The Complete Solo Piano Music	ambient brutal death metal classical impressionism piano
43		1983	London Symphony Orchestra	Bax - Delius - Ireland	classical french impressionism
30		1984	Pascal Rogé	Erik Satie: 3 Gymnopédies & Other Piano Works	classical french impressionism piano solo piano
42		1984	Pascal Rogé	Erik Satie: 3 Gymnopedies & other piano works	classical impressionism piano solo piano
76		1984	Pascal Rogé	Satie: 3 Gymnopédies & other piano works	classical french impressionism piano solo piano
92		1986	Toshifumi Hinata	REALITY IN LOVE	ambient impressionism
97		1986-10-25	Kitaro	Tenku	impressionism new age
70		1987	Patricia Escudero	Satie Sonneries	impressionism spain
59		1989	Maurice Ravel	The Complete Solo Piano Music (Angela Hewitt)	classical impressionism
62		1989	Nicanor Zabaleta	Boieldieu / Saint-Saëns / Tailleferre / Ravel: Harp Concertos	classical french impressionism orchestra
67		1990	Erik Satie	Œuvres pour piano (Séléction)	classical impressionism piano
82		1992	Arnold Bax	BAX: Symphonic Poems	british impressionism
87		1992-11-17	Erik Satie	Piano Works (Daniel Varsano, Philippe Entremont)
12		1995	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Piano Works Vol. 4	impressionism
51		1995	Erik Satie	Aprés la pluie	impressionism
89		1995	Reinbert de Leeuw	Satie: Gnossiennes, Gymnopédies, Etc.
64		1997	Yo-Yo Ma	Nature at Play: J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 (Live from the Great Smoky Mountains) - EP	impressionism
33		1998	Krystian Zimerman / Pierre Boulez	Ravel: Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales	impressionism orchestral
83		1998	Maurice Ravel	Sonatine	impressionism piano
66		1998-01-01	Erik Satie	Gnossiennes; Gymnopédies; Ogives; Trois Sarabandes; Petite ouverture à danser	impressionism
93		1999	Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli	Preludes - Volume 1	impressionism piano	classical piano # 27
95		1999	Claude Debussy	The World Of Claude Debussy	classical
84		1999	Claude Debussy	Debussy: The Composer as Pianist (1904, 1913)
50		1999-07-07	浜渦正志	Piano Pieces "SF2" ~ Rhapsody on a Theme of SaGa FRONTIER 2	classical contemporary classical impressionism
4		2000	Federico Mompou	Música Callada (Henck)	impressionism
86		2000	Paul Jacobs	Debussy: Preludes for Piano, Books I & II
88		2000-01-21	植松伸夫	Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VIII	classical contemporary classical impressionism jazz piano soundtrack
22		2001	Joaquín Achúcarro	Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit	impressionism spain
80		2001	Walter Gieseking	The Complete Piano Works	classical impressionism
1		2002	New Music Studium	Poulenc: La Bal Masqué, Suite Française, Rapsodie Nègre, Le Bestiaire, Cocardes & Aubade		chamber # 7
20		2003-03-31	Juliane Banse	Koechlin: Orchestral Works	classical impressionism
73		2005	Noriko Ogawa	Debussy: The Solo Piano Works	classical impressionism musique francaise piano	musique francaise # 71
23		2005	Maurice Ravel	Ravel: Boléro - Pavane pour une infante défunte - Daphnis et Chloë (2e Suite)	impressionism orchestral
58		2005	Michael Samson	Until Tomorrow Comes	classical classical piano composer contemporary instrumental contemporary piano impressionism instrumental new age piano solo solo piano
78		2007	Yo-Yo Ma	Nature at Play: J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 (Live from the Great Smoky Mountains)	impressionism
91		2007-01-15	Doc & Lena Selyanina	Echoes from an Engulfed Cathedral	ambient deep ambient finnish impressionism neoclassical russian	deep ambient # 81
53		2007-09-04	Connary Fagen	Blue	impressionism
81		2008	Michael Samson	A Still Motion	classical classical piano composer contemporary instrumental contemporary piano impressionism instrumental new age piano solo solo piano	contemporary instrumental # 21 piano solo # 32
96		2008-12-19	Frozen Silence	Sky	alternative classical composer contemporary classical contemporary piano easy listening ethereal finland finnish impressionism instrumental meditation minimalism neoclassical new age piano piano solo solo piano	meditation # 19 contemporary piano # 53 composer # 59 finland # 79 solo piano # 85 piano solo # 86
98		2008-12-23	Frozen Silence	Impressions	alternative classical ethereal finland finnish impressionism instrumental minimalism new age piano post-rock	minimalism # 4 finland # 90
21		2009	Florian Henschel	Koechlin: Chamber Music	clarinet classical impressionism
49		2009	Bull of Heaven	C	ambient classical dark ambient impressionism minimalism
63		2010-03-14	Liminique	Mkuytdsfgh's Day	neoclassical
46		2010-11-19	Herr Twiggs	Стаккато	acoustic classical composer contemporary classical dark ambient dark cabaret easy listening impressionism instrumental neoclassical orchestral
54		2010-11-19	Herr Twiggs	Lost (Demo)	acoustic ambient apocalyptic folk cabaret classical composer contemporary classical dark cabaret easy listening impressionism instrumental minimalism neoclassical neofolk orchestral piano
55		2010-12-24	Herr Twiggs	Marzipan und Mutterfleisch	acoustic ambience german impressionism minimalism neoclassical piano poetry	ambience # 28
99		2011-03-04	C418	Minecraft - Volume Alpha	ambient	progressive electronic # 20 ambient house # 43 ambient # 96
61		2013-06-18	Untide	Untide	drone impressionism
100		2014	Erik Satie	Satie: 3 Gymnopédies; 6 Gnossiennes etc.	impressionism
19		2015	Antonii Baryshevskyi	Boulanger: Hymne au soleil	classical french impressionism piano
10		2015	Erik Satie	The Complete Ballets of Erik Satie (Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony Orchestra)
47		2015-05-19	Lili Boulanger	In Memoriam Lili Boulanger	impressionism
17		2015-10-09	Michael Korstick	Koechlin: Chamber Music	classical impressionism piano
9		2017	Tatjana Ruhland	Koechlin: Chamber Music	classical flute impressionism
3		2017	Eric Satie	La belle excentrique, en habit de cheval, morceau en forme de poire (1866-1925)
57		2019	Ensemble Aedes	Fauré: Requiem - Poulenc: Figure Humaine - Debussy: 3 Chansons	choral classical french impressionism mass requiem	requiem # 1 mass # 65
7		2020-12-19	Viktor Kraus	NO PLAYERS ONLINE	dark ambient impressionism
15		2023	Koki Fujimoto	The Complete Works for Solo Guitar by Toru Takemitsu vol. 1	classical contemporary classical impressionism jazz
65		2023-02-02	Claude Debussy	Debussy for Daydreaming: Music To Caress Your Innermost Thoughts	impressionism
14		2024-02-23	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Piano Works Vol. 3	impressionism
29		2024-02-23	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Piano Works Vol. 2	impressionism
68		2024-02-23	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Clair De Lune & Other Piano Works	impressionism
75		2024-02-23	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Piano Works Vol. 1	impressionism
79		2024-02-23	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Complete Works for Piano	impressionism
72		2024-02-23	Claude Debussy	Debussy: Préludes, Books 1 & 2
39			浜渦正志	Masashi Hamauzu: Opus 4 - Piano and Chamber Music Works	chamber classical contemporary classical impressionism japanese piano	chamber # 38
2			菅野よう子	ゲーム音楽コンサート －ザ・ベスト・セレクション－	classical contemporary classical impressionism
5			John Williams	The River (Music From The Motion Picture)	classical contemporary classical impressionism
6			平野義久	劇場版「遙かなる時空の中で 舞一夜」オリジナルサウンド・トラック	classical impressionism
8			Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra & Bernard Haitink	Ravel: Orchestral Music - Boléro - Ma Mère l'Oye	ballet classical impressionism
11			天野正道	Ruin Explorer Fam & Ihrlie: Suite Symphonique 2	classical contemporary classical impressionism orchestra symphony
16			Christine Simonin	Koechlin: Orchestral Works	classical impressionism orchestral
18			天野正道	Ruin Explorer Fam & Ihrlie: Suite Symphonique 1	classical contemporary classical impressionism symphony
24			菅野よう子	劇場版 ∀ガンダム ― オリジナル・サウンドトラック	classical contemporary classical impressionism orchestra
27			橋本一子	Rahxephon OST2	contemporary classical impressionism jazz minimalism
28			Davidsan	幻想音風景	impressionism
31			2 3 0 6	2306 - Music Inspired by C418's 'Minecraft - Volume Alpha'	ambient electronic impressionism
32			菅野 よう子	NHK大河ドラマ「おんな城主 直虎」 音楽虎の巻 イチトラ	classical contemporary classical impressionism
35			氷結幻想	幻想音風景	impressionism
36			Martino Tirimo	Debussy - 12 Etudes	impressionism piano
37			浜渦正志	Pianoschlacht Live: Masashi Hamauzu Music Works	classical contemporary classical impressionism
38			Davidsan	小さな夢へのアンダンテ	impressionism piano
40			山下康介	ちはやふる オリジナル・サウンドトラック&キャラクターソング集 第2首	classical contemporary classical impressionism
44			Broken Ideology	Afterlight	ambient art rock impressionism progressive rock psychedelic rock rock
48			浜渦正志	LIGHTNING RETURNS:FINAL FANTASY XIII オリジナル･サウンドトラック	classical classical crossover contemporary classical impressionism
52			氷結幻想	小さな夢へのアンダンテ	impressionism piano
56			Wiener Philharmoniker	Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande	impressionism opera
69			片岡真央	ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド オリジナルサウンドトラック	classical contemporary classical impressionism
71			岩田恭明	ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド オリジナルサウンドトラック	classical crossover contemporary classical electronic impressionism
85			Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli	Claude Debussy - Preludes Volume 2	piano
77			Lyon National Orchestra	Debussy: Orchestral Works, Vol. 6

Related genres

• classical
• piano
• contemporary classical
• orchestral
• french
• ambient
• instrumental
• orchestra
• minimalism
• solo piano