Debussy Ravel Gaffigan

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) loved the sea as a boy, and his parents planned for some time that he would go into the navy. However, as an adult he spent the majority of his time far from the sea, and as he wrote La Mer (The Sea, 1905) he derived inspiration primarily from his memories and from paintings.

Maurice Ravel’s (1875–1937) ballet music to the Greek love story of Daphnis and Chloe premiered in 1912. He described it as “a choreographic symphony in three parts,” and “true to the Greece of my dreams.” The Suite No.2 contains highlights from the ballet music and some of the most sensuous orchestral music from the last century.

(Photo: James Gaffigan © Franca Pedrazzetti)