Search - Messiaen, Whun Chung, Bastille Opera Orchestra :: Mystic: Musical Visions of Olivier Messiaen

DON'T JUDGE THIS CD BY ITS COVER

Melvyn M. Sobel | Freeport (Long Island), New York | 11/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As averse as I am most of the time to compilations, and with good reason (e.g. Mozart's Greatest Hits, Vol. 25), this CD is a find and, if not exactly altering my opinion, does serve up a little crow for me to munch.



At first I didn't know what to make of it; I'd seen it bouncing around the library bins for weeks, its purple "presence," with the DG logo hidden discreetly at the bottom left corner, throwing me completely offguard.



"MYSTIC." That's all the cover says. I thought--- not thinking at all, actually--- "Mystic," what? Mystic Moods (for a Rainy Night)? The Mystic Moods Orchestra?



So out of obstinate curiosity, and looking for something new to hear, I pulled the "plum" from the bin... and opened it.



Egad! Messiaen! Who would have suspected? (Purple for passion, I guess.) Regardless of this rather ludicrous marketing gambit, what we have here is an otherwise intelligently-packaged collection of superb music by Messiaen (1908-1992), crowned by the glorious "L'Ascension" (Four Symphonic Meditations for Orchestra) and sprinkled by excerpted "gems" like the "Vocalise," "Garden of Love's Sleep" and "To Remain In Love." Even a die-hard, anti-compilationist (like me) cannot fail but to be moved by these--- dare I speak the word!--- MYSTICAL, serene, beautiful and devotional pieces that form the very core of the composer.



In the very kindest sense of the analogy, this CD is the musical equivalent of CLIFF NOTES (except we're not drudging through WUTHERING HEIGHTS, here). And my feeling is: For those not familiar with Messiaen, any appreciable method to enlightenment is fine, any approach valid.



This CD offers the gentlest of entrees into the sound world of Messiaen, and for this, alone, it must be enthusiastically recommended.



[Running time: 75:18]"

Insightful collection of sublime music

Melvyn M. Sobel | 07/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While Messiaen's music is finding increasing interest in recording and performance, it is still sometimes difficult "break the shell" to get to the heart of it. This disk not only serves the purpose of approaching his music, but itself provides a glimpse of the broad musical landscape, extraordinary tone color and inspiration in his writing. And the performance and production are first rate. A beautiful collection of music by one of the great composers of the last century."

Discover a divine composer for just pennies

Christopher Culver | 12/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who takes a walk down the classical aisles at any record store will notice the sheer amount of compilations produced in this genre. From opera arias to ambient mixes to the greatest hits of a particular era, there's hundreds of them. But compilations of modern composers are rare, and Deutsche Grammophon deserves praise for this disc offering samples of the ecstatic music of Olivier Messiaen. The music of this devout Roman Catholic who saw colours when he heard notes and thought birdsong was the voice of God is full of majesty and glittery effects like no other.



The selections cover the two ends of Messiaen's career. Four selections are early. "The Ascension" for orchestra is from 1932, one of the his first major pieces he ever wrote. From the "Quartet for the End of Time", the masterpiece he wrote while held by the Germans in a prisoner of war camp, we have the passionate "In Praise of the Eternity of Jesus" movement. And from the "Turangalila Symphony" of 1948, the massive composition highlighting Messiaen's interest in exotic rhythms and praising romantic love, we get the two most exhuberant movements. The compilation skips over the 50s, 60s, and 70s. From the late end of Messiaen's career we get the "Abide in Love" movement from his last full work "Illuminations of the Here-After", and the "Vocalise" movement from his "Concerto for four soloists", completed by his wife Yvonne Loriod after his death.



The orchestral works here are performed by the Orchestre de l'Opera conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. I've never been too passionate about these, preferring the Rattle recording of the "Illuminations" and the Nagano of the "Turangalila Symphony". Ditto for the "Quartet for the End of Time", here in the old Barenboim recording, for which I prefer the TASHI ensemble's performance. Still, while the material here seems second-best to this review who has built up a whole Messiaen collection, none of the performances here are poor. You'll be entertained from all. There's also an informative booklet with enlightening details on the pieces.



If you're curious about Messiaen's music, this compilation, used copies of which go for pennies, is a great way to encounter the work of this highly individual and supremely listenable composer."