'Maybe you don't know that I was intended for the fine career of a sailor…' was what Debussy wrote in a letter in which he tells about his work on La Mer. His passion for the sea remained despite his different career and brought him to compose the three symphonic sketches for orchestra.
The initially conservative criticism of La Mer, which can probably be attributed to the difference in style compared to the successful work Pelléas, could be reversed through a performance directed by Debussy in 1908 with overwhelming success.

Preface: Michael Stegemann
Conductor: Jun Märkl
Orchestra/ensemble: Orchestre National de Lyon
Translator preface (English): Penelope Souster