“Many qualities can make you love this music. You can be touched by its spirituality, transported by its energy, and moved by its overproportioned dimensions; you can be fascinated by its rhythmical life; you can be seduced by the colours and harmonies which lead you to the borders of timbre; you can be absorbed by the multiplicity of inspiration, whether local to different parts of the planet or historical, ranging from ancient music to recent. In the end, every listener can decide which dimension in this accumulation of experience is for him or her the most important. But certainly this music reflects someone who can invite us to open other dimensions in ourselves, from meditation to ecstasy, and to open our ears and minds to a world made of multiplicity.”
Thursday, January 31, 2008
What Pierre-Laurent said last
When I interviewed Pierre-Laurent Aimard about Messiaen for yesterday's feature, I also asked him what he would say to encourage someone who'd never heard any before to try it. His response wasn't in the piece as printed, but I think it is beautiful:
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3 comments:
so...for those of us who have so far felt less than attracted by Messiaen, what would be a good piece for an introduction (not necessarily piano playing...)
Depends on your personal taste, goodbuylenin (like the name, btw). If you need something very short and reasonably sweet, and you like choral music, try 'O Sacrum Convivium' which is relatively traditional but involves some very Messiaenish rhythmic tricks. If you want to plunge in with flags flying, go for the Turangalila Symphony - huge orchestra, ten movements, no holds barred. The Quartet for the End of Time is a good starter as well - if you want to pick a bit to try first, I'd suggest one of the Louange movements - one for cello & piano, the other for violin & piano - the most intensely tender, lonely, wonder-filled and compassionate music you will ever hear...
He is so lovely - and he's so passionate about the festival. The film we have up on the website has some nice clips from the interview earlier in the same day you saw him.
www.southbankcentre.co.uk/messiaen
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