Claude Debussy - La Mer
for Chamber Orchestra

Debussy's La Mer is one of the great orchestral works, evoking the colours and sounds of the sea through novel harmonic and instrumental effects. The often transparent approach to the orchestration, lightness of touch and soloistic nature of the scoring lends itself well to a reduced ensemble. By including many of the original instruments in a suitable size orchestra, the work can be effectively conveyed with little loss of variety and colour, with hidden details made more apparent.

Available to purchase or hire from Aria Editions here

Instrumentation: flute (piccolo), oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, percussion (2 players: timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, triangle, glockenspiel), violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass (minimum 2,2,2,2,1)

Listen to a performance of the arrangement:

1. De l’aube a midi sur la mer (9’49)
2. Jeux de vagues (7’46)
3. Dialogue du vent et de la mer (8’48)

Watch a performance of the arrangement here, in separate movements:

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