Day 190: La Mer, L. 109: No. 1, From dawn to noon on the sea by Claude Debussy // 8.5

GENRE: classical
Here's a genre we haven't tapped in awhile. I'm a fan of what little I've heard of Debussy's work, but this one is quite the stunner. I'm only going to talk about the first piece in particular, but this happens to be the book cover of a 3-piece symphonic "sketch".

Mimicking the calm open ocean, the piece opens with a droning bass and harp. Overall, the tone is quite sinister as trumpets and strings enter. The interval of interest is the root and immediate semitone following it. As the piece picks up, you get a flighty, playful strings and flutes, almost as if the sun has peeked over the horizon. The other instruments poke their head in trying to gain attention. A conversation begins between the strings and the woodwinds.

About 4:30 minutes in, you can tell that Debussy is utilizing some pentatonic scale, which really brings in a foreign vibe to the whole piece. Could that be a particular character? In particular, instruments like the cello swell in and out; it really feels like a roller-coaster what with the dynamics flying all over the place. All through this though, I do get the sense that nothing really stands out in terms of themes. Everything kind of washes together, save for some distinctive, impactful moments in the movement. You get slight hints of hope, but there is always that haunting presence given by whatever drones on in the background.

Around 8:00 minutes, we get some sort of resolution. Something grand arrives completely out of nowhere, with some of my favorite chords. The gong sounds, the timpani makes itself known, and all the instruments seem to work in concert with in this specific pentatonic scale. Honestly, this small section puts the piece over the edge for me, because contextually it's so welcoming and grand. But, quite an ominous journey to get there, huh?

Rating: 8.5/10