Claude Debussy's Pianistic Vision
42 Rue de Londres
Debussy lived here with Gabrielle Dupont in 1892, a block away from Trinite Cathedral and Gare St. Lazare. The bells of the cathedral ring often, and many trains arrive and depart from Gare St. Lazare. The Cathedral is quite evocative, the inside is beautiful, and the steeple is stiking on a November 2005 night.
This is a bustling area not far from the Garnier and Comique Opera houses. On March 22nd 2006 when I photographed Rue Londres it was a cold rainy day, very grey and unpleasant and I can well imagine why Debussy often fled Paris for warmer, brighter climes. Paris has no appeal in this weather, and one feels rather like an outsider who does not belong. Constant moisture, mist, and rain from a drizzle to medium sized drops never seems to end, giving the city a dingy pall that is neither alive nor dead. Everything feels as if it is in limbo. Click to see the tracks and outside of Gare St. Lazare from the north.
Debussy lived at 42 Rue de Londres with Gabrielle Dupont in 1892, across from Gare St. Lazare