Messiaen

[Bryn]

I was delighted to find what must be the original issue Eratos of the Marius Constant 2ndhand, as unless well remastered they almost always sound better than reissues....(& I hate big boxes anyway...)...
Still a few left.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JI1OMGA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Finding time to listen to it will be quite a different matter....

That is the version which was bundled into to 1988 Erato Messiaen set (the original discs in their original jewel cases were just boxed together). It's the later 2005 box that has the dodgy 're-masterigs' of many of the items found in the 1988 collection.

[Richard Barrett]

With a little help from Bryn I bought the download of the almost complete orchestral music from Qobuz, with the SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden & Freiburg conducted by Sylvain Cambreling. All I can say is, don't hesitate. I've never heard such a good Et exspecto..., L'Ascension is very good too though it's not a favourite piece of mine, and La Transfiguration is now spinning. Cambreling has a fine ear for all the arresting subtleties (and not-so-subtleties) of timbre in this music, and of course his orchestra is one of the leading groups for 20th and 21st century music and the SWR engineers are second to none (as I've had the chance to experience at first hand on several occasions).

(next day) I didn't get very far through La Transfiguration yesterday evening, so today I decided to stop the dipping around and start again from the beginning. Les Offrandes oubliées, fine performance and recording, not a very interesting piece though; L'Ascension is mentioned above; Turangalîla is as good as you'll hear from anyone.

[Richard Barrett]

Having listened through Cambreling's Messiaen recordings, I got drawn into spending all my spare time with his music one way and another, with the help of the DG Complete Edition which I'm listening to in order. At the same time I'm rereading the excellent Messiaen biography cowritten by one of our members, which brings me to a serious question.

In this book are mentioned a number of women composers whose work I was completely unaware of, among whom off the top of my head I would mention Claude Arrieu, Claire Delbos and indeed Yvonne Loriod herself. What has happened to their compositions? Is it possible to hear them?

As I've said before, I find Olivier Latry's recordings of Messiaen's organ music revelatory. I guess they were recorded principally from an organ-loft perspective, since everything is so much less reverberant than one might expect, and also hands hitting keys are occasionally audible in staccato material. I guess that makes them somewhat "unrealistic" but this is massively outweighed by the depth and complexity of the sound.

[BBMmk2]

I don't get involved with Qobuz but I am sure other outlets will have the Sylvain Gambreling set? It reminds also, Richard Barrett, I also have the Latry set as well, so this will be given a listen, over the next few days.

[jean]

If you are within reach of Liverpool, the Phil (with Petrenko) are doing the Turangalîla Symphony on January 25th 2018.

[Bryn]

The 'new' 25 disc Warner Messiaen Edition is almost upon us. I am surprised that no reviews of the boxed set seem yet to have appeared as yet. Given the dreadful 're-mastering in Warner's previous 18 disc set, I was hoping that, by now, some one would have let us know what, if any, new transfers are in the set, and whether they are any better than the previous efforts.

[Bryn]

Having made cassette recordings of the original Radio 3 broadcasts of the Gillian Weir near complete Messiaen organ works, I did not purchase the Colllins CDs when they were released. However, a few days ago, in response to reading about the long delayed release of her RFH recordings of a selection of Messiaen's organ works I checked out availability of the Arhus survey. Though the Priory reissues have been remastered, I was too tempted by the original Collins set (in 'like new' condition) on ebay for £12.99 + £3.30 p&p). I must say I am quite happy with the audio quality but since the three items which emerged after the Collins recordings were made are to be found on a Priory double album, along with the remastered Livre du Saint Sacrement (£12.99 including p&p direct from Priory), I have ordered that too. Will I be so impressed with the remastered sound that I end up getting the other Priory issues? Hmm ...

Anyway, I am awaiting delivery of the Oz Eloquence album of the RFH recordings with bated breath.

[Bryn]

Anyone interested in further information about Messiaen's Fauvettes de l’Hérault (Concert des garrigues), as featured in this mornings Record Review, might like to try this Youtube item, if their French (or Japanese) is up to it:

[Serial_Apologist]

I must reach for my French dictionary. I don't have one for Japanese.

[Serial_Apologist]

For the benefit of composition teaching method enthusiasts, I just came across the following dissertation on Messiaen's approaches and pupils, which looked interesting to me, and thought others might also find it so. I'm sure Mr Benitez won't mind my linking it here:

http://symposium.music.org/SupportingFiles/ArticlesVol40/Benitez.html

[Bryn]

Just delivered here, the Pentatone SACD set of Catalogue d'oiseaux. Delighted to find, upon opening the box, two small brown feathers sitting on top of the programme booklet. Nice touch.

Also in the same delivery from Presto, the Warner Quartetto Italiano boxed set. 14 CDs (the content of which would have fitted easily onto only 11) 2 of which hold stereo recordings from 1959, the others all being of earlier mono recordings. Nine of the works recorded appear on CD for the first time. No Messiaen in this box, of course. He did not write a string quartet, as far as I know.

[Mandryka]

This doctorate has a presentation of Messiaen's ideas about perceived duration which I've found helpful. I'll put the link here because otherwise I'll forget it

https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/10501/7/Shan2020PhD.pdf

This is the sort of thing which I've been struggling to make sense of for ages and the doctorate seemed to make it clear as crystal

Messiaen lists four factors that affect our experience
of duration: various modes of attack (struck, plucked, sustained) (frappé, pincé, soutenu),
different nuances, different registers (treble and bass) (vers l’aigu ou vers le grave) and
various instruments (Messiaen 1994a: 25). Messiaen suggests that a relatively slow melody
(une mélodie, demouvement assez lent) played on the xylophone, would sound qualitatively
longer than the same melody played on the violin, because of their different executions
(Messiaen 1994a: 24). This is because every note of the melody played on the xylophone
creates more events than the same note played one the violin. While the xylophone, in every
note, creates a sound of attack which quickly dies down, the violin only creates a sustained
sound in the notes of the slow melody.

[Mandryka]

Good book by Peter Hill and Roderick Chadwick on the bird catalogue - fun to read Hill’s commentaries and then listen to his recordings.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1009247670?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_detail s

[Bryn]

Duly ordered and due to arrive later today (out for delivery to a local pickup point). Last Thursday's Radio 3 in Concert had a fine performance of Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà... , (SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart conducted byIngo Metzmacher) followed by a live recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations played by Grigory Sokolov. Both are well worth catching on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qfw2

[Mandryka]

Duly ordered and due to arrive later today (out for delivery to a local pickup point). Last Thursday's Radio 3 in Concert had a fine performance of Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà... , (SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart conducted byIngo Metzmacher) followed by a live recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations played by Grigory Sokolov. Both are well worth catching on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qfw2

I don't think you'll be sorry.

I really want to hear the catalogue in concert -- and I'm prepared to travel for it, but maybe not to St Polten! On the other hand, you only live once so . . . .

https://www.oliviermessiaen.org/news-events