I was listening to this piece last night, on my evening commute. I think it is a hard piece of music to hear in a car-because the range of volume is so wide. i found mysed starining to hear the pieces that were so low in volume. is this piece highly regarded today? Is is something that is best heard live, in concert?
Any recommendations about the best recording of it?
Fabulous piece, full of vivid colours and details. Very highly regarded, it’s one of the masterpieces of impressionism in music.
I’ve got no particular recommendations for recordings, but there are free MP3s here, of about a good a student performance as you could ask for.
When it comes to Debussy, I’m quite fond of Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The following is a very beautiful record:
Now I’ve listened to Debussy a lot in my car, but the ideal context to listen to these pieces that are meant to be very evocative is one where you can close your eyes and look at the sea the music is painting for you.
A masterpiece, simply stated.
My favorite: Pierre Boulez conducting the Cleveland Orchestra, on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
The aforementioned Dutoit recording is excellent as well, not to mention recording conducted by Martinon and Munch, for some older ones.
With a good sound system, you’ll be much pleased listening to this at home.
But the bottom line is, of course something live is almost always better.
Live music > recorded music.
Yes.
Listen to the Dutoit/Montreal recording of Holst’s Planets instead. 
In the first movement, ‘From Dawn to Noon on the Sea’, the part at quarter past eleven is very good.
At least, that’s the part Erik Satie supposedly said he particularly liked.
Absolutely adore it. (And Debussy in general). I used to listen to “La Mer” while studying when I was in college-it always helped me drown out background noise and the like, and helped me concentrate.
Mine too. It’s the kind of music that just keep getting better and better, the more I hear it. And it’s an amazing piece, live.
I enjoy it a great deal and it always in my top 10 CDs, but (now don’t jump on my too hard) I always feel there is something missing. No, I don’t know what it is. I can’t point to it. It always feels to me as if there is just something little that’s not there.
But as I said I do like it, love it, but I always come away with that nagging feeling. It’s a small feeling, but it’s there.
OK, I’ll shut up.
Possibly since it’s so impressionistic? Fewer “hard edges” and more unresolved climaxes?