Search - Loriad, Bon :: Olivier Messiaen

Inspirational Tribute

Dean R. Brierly | Studio City, CA | 06/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In honor of the 100th year of Olivier Messiaen's birth comes this six-disc set of some of his most groundbreaking and beautiful music. The protean composer was one of the 20th century's major visionaries as well as one of its most accessible artists, a claim few other musicians can make. While his output is immense, this box set functions both as a wonderful entry point for those unfamiliar with his work, and a welcome addition to the most ardent Messian fan's collection. An added bonus is the presence of two of the most gifted interpreters of his music: the virtuoso pianist Yvonne Loriod (Messiaen's widow), and legendary conductor/composer Pierre Boulez. The first two discs are devoted to Messiaen's "The Transfiguration of Christ," a monumental work that expresses his deep religious faith through an astonishing musical palette of brilliant orchestral colors and sensuous choral passages. The composer's trademark birdsong effects and exotic percussion are also much in evidence. The performance by Loriod, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Brussels BRTN choir is perhaps the best version I've heard. Disc three features "Visions de L'Amen," a much knottier, more angular work, scored for two pianos, that makes effective use of repetition and harsh dynamics, yet not without sparks of iridescent lyricism. Disc four is a real treat: a 1988 concert staged in honor of Messiaen's 80th birthday, with Pierre Boulez conducting a small orchestra and Loriod playing piano on several of the composer's seminal works. "Sept Haiku" and "Couleurs de la Cite Celeste" are sublime meditations full of movement, tension and mystery. "Un Vitrail et des Oiseaux" and "Oiseaux Exotiques" evoke to the fullest Messiaen's ability to transpose actual birdsong transcriptions into ravishing musical equivalents. The final two discs present another massive orchestral work, "Des Canyons aux Etoiles." Inspired by the geography and birds of Utah's Bryce Canyon, it's a long and episodic journey full of Messiaen's unique sound colors and textures, infused with a profound spiritual beauty that can be equally enjoyed from a religious or secular perspective. All of these works share an idiosyncratic approach to melody, rhythm and harmony, and sound like no other music ever written. Messiaen passed away in 1992, but musicians and music lovers alike are still coming to grips with his complex and glorious legacy."