Philharmonia Orchestra - Olivier Messiaen

Biographies

All biographies (zip)
.doc | .pdf

Pierre-Laurent Aimard
.doc | .pdf

BBC Symphony Chorus
.doc | .pdf

George Benjamin
.doc | .pdf

Sylvain Cambreling
.doc | .pdf

Cynthia Millar
.doc | .pdf

Roger Muraro
.doc | .pdf

Kent Nagano
.doc | .pdf

Philharmonia Voices
.doc | .pdf

Esa-Pekka Salonen
.doc | .pdf

Tamara Stefanovich
.doc | .pdf

Jacques Tchamkerten
.doc | .pdf

Programme Notes

All notes (zip)
.doc | .pdf

Turangalila
.doc | .pdf

Transfiguration
.doc | .pdf

Quatuor
.doc | .pdf

Poèmes pour Mi
.doc | .pdf

Oiseaux exotiques
.doc | .pdf

Reveil
.doc | .pdf

Chronochromie
.doc | .pdf

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
.doc | .pdf

Debussy's Prelude...
.doc | .pdf

Jolivet's Cinq Danses...
.doc | .pdf

Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy
.doc | .pdf

Benjamin's Sudden Time
.doc | .pdf

Ligeti's Atmosphères
.doc | .pdf

Xenakis' Pithoprakta
.doc | .pdf

Film Transcripts

All Transcripts (zip)
.doc | .pdf

Esa-Pekka Salonen
.doc | .pdf

Messiaen and the Organ
.doc | .pdf

Percussion in Messiaen
.doc | .pdf

Turangalila Premiere
.doc | .pdf

Birdsong in Messiaen
.doc | .pdf

Further Reading | Messiaen Recordings | Other Recordings | Links

Peter Hill and Nigel Simeone: Messiaen
(Yale University Press, 2005) - more info

Peter Hill and Nigel Simeone: Messiaen
(Yale University Press, 2005) - close

The definitive full-length biography of Messiaen. The authors were the first - and, so far, the only - writers to been given access to Messiaen's private archives for their research. The book includes the first publication of numerous extracts from Messiaen's diaries, notebooks, letters and articles, as well as including over 200 photographs, many of them never before seen. Widely hailed as a groundbreaking study, the book is written in an approachable style, appealing to the interested general reader as well as to specialists.

Peter Hill and Nigel Simeone: Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques
(Ashgate, 2007) - more info

Peter Hill and Nigel Simeone: Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques
(Ashgate, 2007) - close

A detailed study of one of Messiaen's most daring and dazzling works - a breathtaking synthesis between his music and his passion for birdsong. After considering the work's historical context (especially Boulez's Domaine Musical concerts), an examination of the sketches in Messiaen's notebooks follows, along with a detailed commentary on the work itself. The book concludes by looking at the work's reception history and a study of recordings.

Christopher Dingle: The Life of Messiaen
(Cambridge University Press, 2007) - more info

Christopher Dingle: The Life of Messiaen
(Cambridge University Press, 2007) - close

This biography is shorter than Hill and Simeone's Messiaen, but it is another essential book for anyone with a serious interest in the composer. Engagingly and concisely written, it sheds new light on several aspects of Messiaen's life and work, and is illustrated with some unusual photographs.

Christopher Dingle and Nigel Simeone, eds.: Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature
(Ashgate, 2007) - more info

Christopher Dingle and Nigel Simeone, eds.: Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature
(Ashgate, 2007) - close

A collection of essays edited by two of Britain's leading Messiaen scholars, including studies of Messiaen's connections with other composers, visual artists and writers, as well as articles on specific aspects of his music. The book includes a complete parallel-text edition (by Philip Weller) of L'Âme en bourgeon, the cycle of poems by Messiaen's mother Cécile Sauvage, written while the composer was in the womb, and dedicated to him.

Rebecca Rischin: For the End of Time: The Story of Messiaen's Quartet
(Cornell University Press, 2003) - more info

Rebecca Rischin: For the End of Time: The Story of Messiaen's Quartet
(Cornell University Press, 2003) - close

A fascinating account of the circumstances under which Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du Temps was composed and first performed in Stalag VIII-A at Görlitz, including a series of interviews with the original performers.

Anthony Pople: Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
(Cambridge University Press, 1998) - more info

Anthony Pople: Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
(Cambridge University Press, 1998) - close

An analytical study of the Quatuor, but one that is thoroughly approachable and full of interesting detail, providing useful insights into Messiaen's composition processes.

Further Reading | Messiaen Recordings | Other Recordings | Links

Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie - more info

Messiaen: Turangalîla- Symphonie - close

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano)/Berlin PO/Kent Nagano
Teldec 8573 82043-2

Paul Crossley (piano)/Philharmonia O/Esa-Pekka Salonen
Sony SBK89900

Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)/Concertgebouw O/Riccardo Chailly
Decca 436 626-2

Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi / Sept Haïkaï / Reveil des Oiseaux - more info

Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi / Sept Haïkaï / Reveil des Oiseaux - close

Francoise Pollet (soprano)/Joela Jones (piano)/Cleveland O/Pierre Boulez
DG 453 4782

Gweneth-Ann Jeffers & Stephen de Pledge (piano)
Black Box BBM 1090 (Messiaen collection)

Messiaen: La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus Christ - more info

Messiaen: La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus Christ - close