A bergamasque is a 16th-century Italian dance, which in 1890's France would evoke an archaic form of music (Roberts, p. 91). Debussy's Suite Bergamasque is a collection of four pieces: Prelude, Menuet, Clair de Lune and Passepied. With the exception of Clair de Lune these are obviously early Debussy pieces, classical in form and, while very pleasant, only hint at the depth of Debussy's later piano works. Two of the pieces, Menuet and Passepied are named for dance forms (though they are only remotely in those forms).
The Prelude is an opening piece for the suite with much grandeur and an almost archaic classical feel. Though it has a conventional forte, piano, forte structure, it also contains many changes, showing an almost improvisational style. Though it can sound improvised on first listening, this improvisational feel is the result of writing with close attention to structure and detail. To me this anticipates the chamber sonatas Debussy wrote towards the end of his life.
OK, I'll admit that I never would have given this piece much attention if it were not in the Suite Bergamasque. It is the least compelling piece of the suite. But once I got into it I discovered that it is quite a lot of fun to play. It also makes a great warmup piece when starting a Debussy piano session. Played with enthusiasm and careful attention to detail it makes a grand opening.
Emotional Content: This piece is basically in a classical form and mood, with with a grand enthusiasm showing through. This enthusiasm is brought out via quick contrasts, such as between the grandeur in mm. 1-2 and the elegance of mm. 3-4.
Disclaimer: I am just now studying Pagodes for the first time. It is difficult and I have not mastered it. So what's below may change and should be taken with a grain of salt.
The piece is marked "fairly lively". This tempo should be maintained throughout with the exception of the occasional ritard. There should be no rubato or sloppiness in the tempo.
Opening: This section is marked "2 ped" (one of the very few pedal markings in Debussy's piano music), indicating that both the soft (una corda) and sustain pedals should be held down. Clearly the sustain pedal is to be used heavily throughout the opening, the questions is how to maintain clarity. Elder (p. 236) tells us that Gieseking taught that the sustain pedal should be held without change for mm. 1-6, changed for m. 7, held without change for mm. 7-10, changed at m. 11 then held again for mm. 11-14. Debussy is explicit that the two pedals should be held without change for mm. 11-14. This indicates to me that we have a little more freedom to change the pedal before m. 11, but not for mm. 11-14, and that the soft pedal should be held all the way to m. 16.
mm. 1-2: The timing in these measures should be absolutely strict and carefully counted. Debussy is unusually explicit in marking which hand plays which chord: the left hand plays the first, the right the second and the left hand the third chord (the first in the treble) to be played with the left hand. While this is obviously not technically necessary because of the sustain pedal, playing the third chord with the left hand will facilitate a more gong-like tone.
mm. 3-6: Marked "delicately with hardly any nuance", these measures should be played very evenly and transparently, with the melody not rising much above the chords. If you change sustain pedal at the beginning of m. 5, be sure to hold the low F-sharp from the previous measure during the change, and similarly for later measures.
mm. 7-10: These measures are much like those before, with the addition of a middle melody. Again, the playing should be even. The idea is to create equal layers of sound. Note the rhythmic difference in the low F-sharp at the end of mm. 8 and 10, which I think subtly increases the dynamics without increasing volume.
mm. 11-14: The volume level is increased to piano, but we are explicitly told to keep the soft pedal down. It is tempting to increase the volume as these measures are played, but I don't think this is what Debussy had in mind. In another unusual pedal marking we are told to keep the sustain pedal down without change throughout these measures.
mm. 15-22: For these measures I release the soft pedal. The primary challenge of these measures is to keep the D-sharp-C-sharp triplet figure as regular as possible in its various forms and registers while playing the melodies and bass over it. Note that there is a small crescendo marked in m. 18, but the following measure is again piano. Most recordings I've heard have a steady increase in volume through these measures, reading the mark in m. 18 as a crescendo to the dynamic level of m. 19. But I read this as a small crescendo in m. 18 with a return to piano at m. 19, which builds the real but small crescendo in m. 21. m. 19 is marked "a little animated". I think the effect of this reading is quite nice, with a mini-crescendo at m. 18, backing off to a dynamical restart at piano in a more animated feel at m. 19 leading to the crescendo in m. 21, rather than one continuous build from m. 17 to m. 21.
mm. 23-30: Marked "Still lively", these measures keep the momentum from before but return to pianissimo. I use the soft pedal throughout here. In mm. 27-30 we are again instructed to hold down the soft and sustain pedals without change through the end of m. 31, where I also release the soft pedal. These measures are very technically challenging to perform at speed and pianissimo while allowing enough transparency for the left-hand melody.
mm. 31-36: These measures contain an exquisite melody against a syncopated background. Roberts (p. 292) says that these measures need "the greatest care, with the pedal sustaining the soft lower gongs without in any way affecting the clarity of the melody. The effect must be of a pedaled left hand and an unpedaled right (a tall order...)." There is a nice rhythmic thing at the beginning of m. 35. If you change pedal inside m. 35, Roberts suggests holding the D-sharp in the left hand throughout the measure, giving a bell-like effect.
mm. 37-40: Here the right hand is the background layer and so should be somewhat quieter than the left hand, which carries the melody. The high C-sharp in m. 38 should be clear, sounding like a third instrument (bell) added to the ensemble, as opposed to a chord in the melody.
mm. 41-44: These measures are a straightforward climax and should be loud. Keep the timing strict in the syncopation re-introduced in m. 44.
mm. 45-52: In mm. 45-49 the effect should be of three instruments: the melody in the left hand, a chime in the middle, and a different chime playing the two notes at the top. All very rhythmic and pianissimo. mm. 50-52 are somewhat rhythmically involved and should be in strict time ('till the retenu, of course). Again the feeling should be an ensemble of instruments.
mm. 53-77: This is a straight reprise of the opening sections, leading directly into the reprise of the climax in m. 73. The only extra twist is the maintaining of the D-sharp-C-sharp triplet figure throughout the climax measures in mm. 73-77. Note that the dynamic climax is maintained throughout mm. 73-78. Elder (p. 237) quotes Gieseking as saying that we should catch the low D-sharp in m. 75 and hold the sustain pedal from there through m. 79, changing at the beginning of m. 80.
mm. 78-79: These measures start ff and diminish all the way to pp.
mm. 80-98: Here we have a non-stop, rhythmically complex glissando based on the opening melody, played against a recall of some of the themes in the piece. These measures are entirely pianissimo, I play them with the soft pedal. These measures are very difficult to perform at tempo and pianissimo. I find that mastering mm. 84-87 helps me get the rhythm of the glissando. Other than that I don't know of any tricks that can help.