Keith Lockhart performs La Cathédrale Engloutie by Claude Debussy

Enjoy this beautiful performance of “La Cathédrale Engloutie” by Claude Debussy, as Keith Lockhart elegantly brings to life the beauty of our ocean from the depths to the surface.

Keith Lockhart is the 20th conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra and has conducted over 2,000 concerts, made 80 television shows, and leads the annual July Fourth Spectacular.

In 1909 and 1910, Claude Debussy wrote a series of 12 preludes for solo piano. Among them is the mysteriously titled, “La Cathédrale engloutie” which translates to The Submerged (or The Sunken) Cathedral. A quintessential example of musical impressionism, the piece depicts the rise of a cathedral from the water and subsequent return to the depths – complete with bells chiming, priests chanting, and organ playing.

Performance by: Keith Lockhart, Conductor, The Boston Pops Orchestra

Original Composition: La Cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral), Claude Debussy [1910]

© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution