Messiaen edition decca

The percussion battery is enormous, comprising all manner of tuned and untuned instruments and is divided into six separate groups. Messiaen specifies no less than seven different gongs and three tam-tams. Ideally, the choral forces should comprise singers: 20 sopranos, a second group of 10 sopranos, 20 altos, 20 tenors, 10 baritones and 20 basses.

Interestingly, Messiaen eschewed vocal soloists — apart from a few short passages for a baritone soloist from within the choir - but instead he wrote virtuoso parts for seven instrumental soloists, as listed in the header to this review.

There have been a number of recordings. That recording was made a few weeks after the same forces had given the US premiere of the work — the world premiere was given in Lisbon in I heard the recording in its LP incarnation and bought it when it first came out on CD.

Among subsequent recordings, Dan Morgan admired a version conducted by Sylvain Cambreling while Dominy Clements was greatly moved by a live performance led by the late Reinbert de Leeuw. The remainder of Part I consists of settings of words from various scriptural sources; these incorporate a significant number of references to light, complementing the idea of blinding light which one associates with the Transfiguration.

In Part II, which is the longer of the two, scriptural texts are also used but in addition there are extracts from the Summa theologica of St Thomas Aquinas. The textural sources used throughout the work may be diverse but Messiaen, who compiled his own libretto, weaves them into a coherent whole. It is…. It completely lacks that touch of the ordinary, the commonplace, that gives the Gospels their immediacy.

It is the invention of a surrealist. However, a few movements cry out for special mention. The choir sings in mystical block chords; the harmonies and progressions are wonderfully exploratory but always come back to E major. This is a real expression of humble devotion, mixed with a degree of fear. Here, I suspect, Messiaen is portraying the Church Triumphant in procession. The harmonies in the writing for the choir are more complex than anywhere else in the score until Messiaen resolves everything in an immense blazing and ecstatic chord for the full ensemble.

Part II contains the two longest, most complex movements in the work. This movement is ambitious, even by the standards of the work as a whole. Read full details. We use cookies to make our website work, to improve your experience, to analyse our traffic and to tailor our communications and marketing. You can choose which of these to accept, or accept all. Listen immediately in My Library. This release includes a digital booklet.

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Special Offers On Offer 1. Awards Award Winners 3. Disc: 4 Liturgie de cristal Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes Hayo kapritama Mayoma kalimolimo. Disc: 5 Amen des Anges, des Saints, du chant des oiseaux Amen du Jugement Amen de la Consommation Disc: 6 Regard des Hauteurs: Vif Disc: 7 La Parole toute-puissante: Un peu vif Je dors, mais mon coeur veille: Lent Disc: 8 La ville qui dormait, toi Bonjour toi, colombe verte Montagnes Doundou Tchil Adieu Syllabes Dans le noir.

Disc: 9 Disc: 10 Le Chocard des alpes Le Loriot Le Merle bleu Le Traquet stapazin La Chouette hulotte