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How do you follow Pelleas et Melisande<\/em>? The opera was first produced in Paris in 1902 and won its composer Claude<\/strong><\/a> Debussy<\/strong><\/a> many admirers; it even created a cult of \u2018Debussyme\u2019. But the following year found the composer determined to resist being pigeonholed. La mer<\/em> was a new way forward for Debussy. Here was something with relatively clear lines, rhythmic strength and robust structure.<\/p> La mer<\/em> has been variously described as \u2018the best symphony written by a Frenchman\u2019, and \u2018the musical equivalent of Monet\u2019s impressionist paintings, and those delicate, feathery prints by Hokusai\u2019. It is all of these and more. As a musical \u2018motion picture\u2019 of marine phenomena, it has no equal.<\/p> It’ll come as no surprise that we named Debussy one of the greatest French composers<\/a><\/strong>… and he also fares very well in oiur guide to the best composers of all time<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>