Both La Mer by Debussy and The Rite of Spring by his friend Stravinsky are now regarded as two of the most influential pieces of the 20th century, although these achievements were accomplished in entirely different ways. The notoriously difficult solo piano re-arrangement of Stravinsky’s own piano duet version of The Rite of Spring by the Russian pianist Vladimir Leyetchkiss (1934–2016) met with the composer’s approval. The solo piano version of La Mer by Lucien Garban (1877–1959) re-interprets the work from the perspective of Debussy’s piano output, taking works such as Images, from the same period, as a model.

Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps remains one of his most impressive and popular orchestral works, but when recorded in piano reduction form most frequently appears in its version for piano duet. The same is true of Debussy’s La Mer, though while both solo arrangements were made by friends of the composers and with their approval, the sheer technical demands of performing these versions has left them virtually untouched. As far as we can tell, this recording enters the market unchallenged by any competitors.

Ralph van Raat is one of the leading pianists of his generation, winning numerous awards for his performances and recordings of contemporary music. These have included releases on the Naxos label such as the complete piano music of John Adams (8559285) described as “scintillating performances” by The New York Times, piano music by Arvo Pärt (8572525) given a 5/5 score by BBC Music Magazine and summed up as “superb” by the The Buffalo News, and his recording of Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated! (8559360) was “highly recommended” by Gramophone and considered a “benchmark CD” by BBC Music Magazine.