Claude Debussy was always particularly drawn to the sea and wrote La Mer in just 18 months, a very short time for him. He became a recognised artist and a leading reference in the world of music. He was also an important critic. In January of the same year, 1903, he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
“You may be unaware that I was intended for the noble career of a sailor, and that only the quirks of fate deviated me from that path. Nonetheless, I’ve retained a sincere devotion to the Sea. You may tell me that the Ocean doesn’t exactly lap the hillsides of Burgundy…! But I have innumerable memories of it, and those, in my view, are worth much more than a reality whose charm generally weighs too heavily upon the imagination”
Letter from Claude Debussy to André Messager, September 1903 (Claude Debussy, F. Lesure, Fayard Editions, May 2003, 245).

DAVID GRIMAL & LES DISSONANCES
The Dissonances, homage to the famous quartet of Mozart, is a collective of artists created by violinist David Grimal. The musical ensemble without conductor, has an absolute liberty of programming choices. This independence offers musicians the opportunity to meet a new audience sometimes intimidated by the so-called classical music and to bring the public a new vision of the major repertoire.