In a comparative survey of recordings of La mer, done by ClassicFM in 2018, this recording was chosen as best. The three part symphony depicts the sea in different stages, from calm to a storm. It premiered in Paris in 1905 to a disappointed audience. Years later, in 1908 it was performed by a conductor that was much more used to modern work, with better results.
Both Debussy and Ravel scorned the term impressionism to describe their music. At the same time, the term is right: this is music that is meant to evoke an atmosphere, an impression. Maybe Debussy didn’t want to be compared to Turner’s portraits of the sea, but it surely sounds like it. Oh, and I award a prize for the cover design!