How do you follow Pelleas et Melisande? The opera was first produced in Paris in 1902 and won its composer Claude Debussy many admirers; it even created a cult of ‘Debussyme’. But the following year found the composer determined to resist being pigeonholed. La mer was a new way forward for Debussy. Here was something with relatively clear lines, rhythmic strength and robust structure.
La mer has been variously described as ‘the best symphony written by a Frenchman’, and ‘the musical equivalent of Monet’s impressionist paintings, and those delicate, feathery prints by Hokusai’. It is all of these and more. As a musical ‘motion picture’ of marine phenomena, it has no equal.
It’ll come as no surprise that we named Debussy one of the greatest French composers… and he also fares very well in oiur guide to the best composers of all time.
Composed between 1903 and 1905, La mer is a uniquely vivid and arresting evocation, in three movements, of the sea’s ever-changing moods, eddies, and mysteries, using an unmistakably Impressionistic musical template.
Debussy La mer: the three movements
“De l’aube à midi sur la mer” (From Dawn to Noon on the Sea): This movement captures the gradual awakening of the sea at dawn, building from a serene, shimmering start to a bright, full orchestral climax as the sun reaches its zenith.
“Jeux de vagues” (Play of the Waves): This is the most lively and fluid movement, depicting the playful, unpredictable motion of the waves. The music is light, dynamic, and filled with intricate textures, reflecting the sea’s ever-changing surface.
“Dialogue du vent et de la mer” (Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea): The final movement is more turbulent, representing the interaction between the wind and the sea. It features dramatic contrasts, sweeping themes, and powerful orchestral surges, concluding with a forceful and evocative depiction of the sea’s majesty.
A finely balanced miracle of musical technique
But it is a mistake to imagine that La mer is merely a collage of ‘cinematic’ opportunities, and that no harm is done by over-admiring the wonderful view in one place, or prematurely whipping up a storm in another.
Debussy’s translation of the ever-changing and apparently formless into a structure of shape, purpose and expression is a finely balanced miracle of musical technique, each detail scrupulously considered and placed.
By the way, you can hear Debussy’s La mer at the 2024 BBC Proms. The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and their chief conductor Lahav Shani will perform this marine masterpiece as part of Prom 44 (Friday 23 August).
La mer by Debussy: three great recordings from the past…
NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini RCA Victor Gold Seal GC 60265
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert von KarajanDG 447 426-2
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink
Three great modern recordings of La mer
Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth Musicales Actes Sud ASM10
From our review: The performance by Les Siècles under François-Xavier Roth is very stylish and does the work proud. Moreover, as is their way, the Suite and accompanying La mer are played on period instruments. There is much to savour, from gut-stringed violins via the more clearly differentiated winds to the more throaty brass. There is also real liveliness and characterisation here.’
Philharmonia/Michael Tilson Thomas Sony SMK 66928 DDD
From our review: ‘In its elemental music Tilson Thomas’s energetic reading drives the Philharmonia to an impassioned performance.’
Philharmonia Orchestra/Pablo Heras-Casado (Harmonia Mundi)
From our review: ‘Pablo Heras-Casado produces fine performances of all these pieces, with the Philharmonia’s unnamed flautist conveying just the right feeling of languor and expressive freedom in the solo passages of the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, and La mer emerging in all its orchestral splendour.’
Original text by Jonathan Swain