This disc of chamber works by Messiaen begins with the Fantaisie
for violin and piano, composed in 1933 for Messiaen to play with
his wife, Claire Delbos. Relatively unknown, it was first published
in 2007 after its discovery by Messiaen’s second wife after his
death. This is a strong work, with fluctuating rhythms, and a
sectional form which makes use of soaring melodies, varying textures
and unisons. The work also uses melodic material from L’Ascension
and possesses traces of Messiaen’s characteristic chromatic harmony.
This is a stunning performance, with a wonderful violin sound
blending with some excellent piano playing.
The Quartet for the End of Time is probably
Messiaen’s best known chamber piece. Its background and first
performance at the Stalag VIIIA concentration camp in January
1941 are well documented. This is an extraordinary work, full
of hope, far-reaching possibilities and deep contemplation about
the human condition. Time itself is central to the work, and
in listening we become consumed by Messiaen’s evocative language
and manipulation of our sense of time. I have heard the work
performed live a number of times, and each group of performers
brings its own meaning to the work. This group is no different,
although the change in recorded sound after the Fantaisie
meant that I had to turn up the volume for the first couple
of movements and it took me a while to settle in. Barnaby Robson
makes an excellent job of the solo clarinet movement, Abîme
des Oiseaux, and there is some wonderful phrasing of the
melodic lines in the Intermède which demonstrates the
talents of these players. The Louange à l’Eternité de Jésus
for cello and piano is arguably one of the most spiritual
moments in Messiaen’s music and always has a profound effect
on me. This is a stirring performance by David Cohen which is
among the best I’ve heard, with its wonderful rising tensions
and hypnotic piano accompaniment. The interruption in the form
of the Danse de la fureur, is a sudden return to reality,
once again beautifully phrased, although the ‘fury’ of the title
felt a little more like mild irritation. I would have liked
a little more fire in its belly. The ensemble, however, is excellent,
with each instrument’s sound combining in the unisons to create
an entirely new instrumental sound of its own. The Fouillis
d’arcs-en-ciel is an extended depiction of the arrival of
the Angel, a reverie of sound which is full of dreams, hope
and colour. The final thought-provoking Louange is another
simply constructed meditation with deep religious connotations,
played with a wonderful depth of emotion. This is a fantastic
recording of a twentieth century masterpiece, with some world-class
playing throughout.
Le Merle noir was one of a long tradition
of flute and piano works composed for the final exam at the
Paris Conservatoire. Each year a new piece was commissioned,
and these exams contributed much to the flute’s recital repertoire,
including works by Gaubert, Chaminade, Taffanel and Faure. Messiaen’s
work was written for the 1952 exam and includes cadenzas, flowing
melodies with additive rhythms and Messiaen’s characteristic
use of bird song: in this case, that of the blackbird. The final
section also includes one of Messiaen’s early experiments with
serialism. Kenneth Smith’s cadenzas are much slower than some
I have heard, losing some of the dramatic and earthy sense of
the piece. However, the quicker passages have a clarity which
is sometimes lost in faster versions. His melodic lines are
beautifully phrased, and are performed with a lovely tone quality.
The final section is biting and energetic, carefully played
with equal balance between the flute and piano.
The short Pièce our piano et quatuor á cordes
(Piece for piano and string quartet) was composed to commemorate
the 90th birthday of publisher Alfred Schlee, head
of Universal Edition. Again in sectional form, this is a simple
but dramatic work, bringing together bird song, unisons and
additive rhythms.
The final work on the disc is the Morceau de
lecture à vue (sight-reading piece), which was composed
in 1934 for the piano sight-reading exams at the Ecole Normale
de Musique in Paris, and is heard
here in its world premiere recording. Although rhythmically
simpler than most of Messiaen’s music, it features richly chromatic
harmony and melodic material which he later used in the vingt
regards.
Matthew Schellhorn’s piano playing is excellent
through the disc and he is joined by some talented colleagues
from the Philharmonia.
Carla Rees
see also Review
by Anne Ozorio
