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#1997125 - 12/09/12 09:50 PM
Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
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8000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/15/06
Posts: 8249
Loc: Pacific Northwest, US.
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Olivier Messiaen, December 10, 1908 – April 27, 1992.
Visiting his church, Église de la Sainte-Trinité, in Paris last May was nothing short of overwhelming for me. Yes, there were tears.
What an incredible composer, his organ works never fail to speak profoundly to me, even if I am not RC. I heard countless performances of Messiaen by the greatest British organists, and I studied several of his organ works. They are horribly difficult, but ultimately so rewarding. Messiaen's writing for the organ is expert, gloriously natural, a sensual pleasure under the fingers.
I never studied any of the piano works, but my life would be so much poorer without Trios petites liturgies de la Présence, Visions de l'Amen, Quatuor pour la fin du temps. Seattle Symphony will do Turangalîla-symphonie in January.
Messiaen -strictly IMO- was not immune to occasionally overstepping himself. The sprawling oratorio La transfiguration de Notre Seigneur from 1965 is bloated, pompous, an often naive religious take-no-prisoners study in excess.
_________________________
Jason
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#1997203 - 12/10/12 02:35 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: argerichfan]
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2000 Post Club Member
Registered: 01/18/06
Posts: 2583
Loc: Manchester, UK
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That was Ligeti.
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Kapustin - Preludes Op. 53, Nos. 8, 11, 12, 9 and 10
Poulenc - Nocturnes and Novellettes
Barber - Souvenirs
Esa-Pekka Salonen - Dichotomie
Kevin Oldham - Ballade, Op. 17
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#1997231 - 12/10/12 04:42 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: argerichfan]
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5000 Post Club Member
Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 5021
Loc: Vught, The Netherlands
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I saw his grave in Paris a few years ago. Impressive.
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#1997276 - 12/10/12 08:25 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: argerichfan]
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500 Post Club Member
Registered: 03/19/10
Posts: 726
Loc: South Carolina
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Turangalîla-symphonie blew me away when I first heard it. It still does blow me away, but only on recordings. I would love to hear it live, but a trek to Seattle is beyond my financial reach......
_________________________
Piano performance and instruction (former college music professor).
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#1997330 - 12/10/12 10:58 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: argerichfan]
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Full Member
Registered: 06/15/11
Posts: 140
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I have used the quartour pour la fin du temps in order to irritate my brother  . He thought it was random noises...
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Working on
Shostakovich: Prelude no. 24 op. 34
Liszt: Consolation no. 3
Haydn: Sonata in e minor, hob XVI no. 34
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#1997331 - 12/10/12 11:00 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: argerichfan]
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1000 Post Club Member
Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 1692
Loc: Betelgeuse, baby!
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Rosen -- now there's a dreadful loss! Scholar, pianist, champion of Carter, he was one of the most complete of musicians.
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Die Krebs gehn zurücke,
Die Stockfisch bleiben dicke,
Die Karpfen viel fressen,
Die Predigt vergessen.
Die Predigt hat g'fallen.
Sie bleiben wie alle.
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#1997333 - 12/10/12 11:07 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: argerichfan]
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5000 Post Club Member
Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 5021
Loc: Vught, The Netherlands
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Sorry for my previous post. It was not Messiaen's grave I saw in Paris, it was Saint-Saëns.
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#1997344 - 12/10/12 11:49 AM
Re: Happy Birthday Olivier Messiaen!
[Re: Brendan]
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8000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/15/06
Posts: 8249
Loc: Pacific Northwest, US.
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In other (sad) news, RIP Charles Rosen.
Very sad, indeed. I read a number of his books -'The Romantic Generation' is particularly recommended- and found them all very stimulating if occasionally a bit opaque and slightly over my head. One wonders where he found the time to get through as much music as he did... and in such depth!
_________________________
Jason
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