Messiaen

[Bryn]

Just picked up my copy. Pausing during my woodland walk back home, I have dipped into it . Just what I hoped for and expected.

[Beresford]

Last Thursday's Radio 3 in Concert had a fine performance of [I]Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà... ]SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart conducted byIngo Metzmacher)

It was a very good performance. By chance my CD of Eclairs is by the same orchestra, conducted by Cambreling about 20 years ago. The sound is very similar, but the CD is 10 minutes longer. For now I slightly prefer the Prom.
The CD booklet has a quotation from the leader of the orchestra, Michael Gielen, saying that he did not see his function as "administering art to people the way a doctor administers a palliative or a sedative; instead he felt he should offer to an alert and attentive body of listeners an opportunity to meet the truth. And that is not always pleasant."