: Simultaneous Crescendo/Decrescendo: Technique, Typo, or Spicy Meme? What do you suppose this is? Is there a way this should be played, or is it just hilarious?

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The > sign clearly applies to the two chords above it, meaning that the first one should be played stronger than the second. The slur above confirms that.

The cresc. applies to a longer stretch of music, telling you to slowly increase the average volume of the piece. It usually applies until the next absolute dynamic mark. There's a p near your excerpt, so the crescendo might run until an f somewhere in the next bars.

This is completely normal practice. Many pieces contain series if sigh motifs like this that increase in volume up to some climax.