Debussy: La mer & Orchestral Works

Debussy’s La mer—the French composer’s symphonic evocation of crashing waves, flurries of spray, and the dawn sunlight reflecting on the sea—has captivated audiences for more than 100 years. Though inspired by coastal holidays in his youth, Debussy wrote most of the piece far from the sea in Paris and Bourgogne, before eventually traveling to Eastbourne on England’s south coast to complete it. British conductor Sir Simon Rattle’s interpretation with the Berliner Philharmoniker was recorded live, and the range of colors and textures he draws from this great orchestra is mightily impressive. The other works also find the Berliners in magnificent form: principal flute Emmanuel Pahud is gloriously languid as the sleepy faun, and Colin Matthews’ orchestration of three piano preludes is done with imagination and flair.