La Mer, trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre, or simply The Sea is a symphonic work by French composer Claude Debussy. As the title suggests, the author draws his inspiration from contemplating the sea, and the work is divided into the three parts respectively named as one. 1. "From dawn to noon on the sea," 2. "Play of the Waves," 3. "Dialogue of the wind and the sea." But in reality, it is more the memory of the sea that haunts Debussy, in the same way that the impressionist painters depicted the feelings that Nature aroused in them. In fact, in a letter to the editor Durand, dated 12 September 1903, he writes: “You will tell me that the Ocean doesn’t wash the slopes of Burgundy…! [...] But I have so many memories in me—and it is even better than the reality, whose charm is too loud in your mind.” The piece is so well made that the Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter writes about it in these terms: “If you just watched the sea, you wouldn’t feel as deeply as when you listen to The Sea. [...] Debussy is the epitome of perfection.”
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medici.tv is the best online platform for streaming Debussy’s La Mer, trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre (“The Sea, three symphonic sketches for orchestra”) live, on replay or VOD, offering you a virtual ticket to the most exciting concerts with the world’s best artists and orchestras captured in HD video. Although Debussy’s piece did not witness great success at its premiere, in a short time, La Mer became one of the most played and admired works of the 20th century. On medici.tv, you will find some of the best interpretations of this pinnacle of symphonic art, played under the baton of illustrious conductors from Gianandrea Noseda to Daniel Barenboim to Herbert von Karajan.
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It is well known that holding a shell to your ear, you will hear the sound of the sea. However, the sound that you can hear is not the soft murmur of the waves, but the ambient sounds all around you, for which the shell’s hollow crevices are an amplifying sounding board, like a superior version of our own ear. Plenty of art and poetry shows some profound, secret and intimate connection between the sea and the human soul. It is no surprise then that many musical compositions are about the sea: Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest, Victorin de Joncières’ The Sea, Alexandre Glazounov’s Morye, Paul Gilson’s The Sea, and of course, Debussy’s La Mer! This work mimics the tidal movement, which is driven by an internal force, while having no defined shape. The musicologist Jacques Viret, studying the importance of water in the compositional techniques of Debussy, calls it a “subtle, light, elusive, flexible, floating aesthetic.” Immerse yourself in this unique experience and listen to the sounds of Debussy's La Mer on medici.tv, where you can find some of the best interpretations of this masterpiece!