Debussy's La Mer

Debussy and Ravel are almost synonymous with each other in the classical music world as the musical Impressionists. But they also were friendly and sometimes not so friendly rivals whose music was actually extremely different. In La Merriou can sit a burning passion and awe, emanating from Debussy throughout that coda of the first moment I played for you. And that brings me to my favorite moment in all of Ravel, the sunrise scene from his ballet, Daphneus and Chloe. Here's how it sounds the way most people hear it, in the orchestral suite that Ravel prepared from the full ballet score.