The BYU Philharmonic gives audiences a chance to hear one of Debussy’s most beloved works
The School of Music’s celebration of Claude Debussy will continue when the BYU Philharmonic performs one of the composer’s most revered pieces, “La Mer,” in their Nov. 15 concert.
“It’s the 100-year anniversary of Debussy’s death, so there are celebrations around the world,” said BYU Philharmonic director Kory Katseanes. “This is the highlight of our celebration here in the School of Music, because ‘La Mer’ is really Debussy’s greatest work. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”
“La Mer,” or “The Sea,” is an atypical symphony with three distinct, complex movements that evoke features of the ocean. “It’s a fantastic piece of imagination and color and alliteration,” said Katseanes. “It sounds like the sea in almost every bar.”
“We hear the sun coming up on the ocean and the waves playing and dancing around each other,” Katseanes continued. “Then in the last movement, we get a picture of the sea in its ferociousness as well. There’s a moment where the storm calms down and the water is flat, like the eye of a storm. After you travel through it, the wind starts picking up again, and we finish with this wild, stormy ocean.”
Katseanes feels fortunate to be able to bring this piece to BYU audiences. “Come listen to ‘La Mer,’” he encouraged. “It’s hard to overestimate the importance of a work like this in our western culture. It’s such an important piece that in professional orchestras, a season that includes ‘La Mer’ is a notable season.”
Though “La Mer” is the highlight of the concert, Katseanes believes that audiences will enjoy all the pieces on the program.
“The concert opens with a brilliant and virtuosic piece by Berlioz called ‘Le Corsaire,’ which is swashbuckling, as the title would suggest—it’s an absolute tour de force for the orchestra,” said Katseanes. “We’re also featuring one of our faculty members, Michelle Kesler, in the Schumann ‘Cello Concerto.’ It’s her first time appearing with the Philharmonic, and we’re looking forward to that.”
“I’m very excited to play this piece with BYU’s Philharmonic,” said Kesler, a cello professor in the School of Music. “It has long been a favorite of mine, and I have never had the chance to perform it with an orchestra. The concerto is beautifully introverted, with themes from each movement brilliantly crafted into the next.”
Tickets and Show Details
Performance Dates and Times: Nov. 15 | 7:30 p.m.
Location: de Jong Concert Hall, Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU
Price: $7-11
Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the HFAC or Marriott Center, by phone at 801.422.2981 or online at byuarts.com
