Olivier Messiaen News
French composer, organist and ornithologist (1908–1992)
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- opera, symphony
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- composer, organist, ornithologist, music teacher, musicologist, music theorist, pianist, university teacher, musician, librettist
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2024-03-18
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2024-03-16 09:57:00
From Early Music to contemporary: the Royal Festival Hall organ is 70 and organist James McVinnie is celebrating with a Southbank Centre residency
[…] with integrity (James heard the organist Thomas Trotter in Reubke at the Royal Festival Hall, and he sounded terrific). But you can also play Bach with integrity on the instrument.James points out that the Royal Festival Hall is not the most generous of acoustics, you get less of a thrill from the room which means that there is an incredible clarity and immediacy to the sound of the organ. Gillian Weir said that she enjoyed Messiaen on the hall's organ because of this clarity. Also, the organ gives the player a very immediate experience whilst playing it, it does what you tell it!James McVinnie at the Union Chapel with Nico Muly and Oneohtrix Point Never - Feb 2015Often, the organist has the worst seat in the house when it comes to hearing the organ. At the Union Chapel, there is an amazing Father Willis organ (dating back to 1877), but […]
2024-03-11 03:30:00
Messiaen: Turangalîla Symphony (CD Review)
by Karl Nehring Marc-André Hamelin, piano; Nathalie Forget, ondes Martenot; Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. Harmonia Mundi 905336 Those relatively new to classical music who may be unfamiliar with the Turangalîla Symphony.by the late French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) are in for quite the ear- and mind-expanding experience when they first encounter this expansive, expressive, exhilarating 10-movement, 80-minute piece that is scored for piano, ondes Martenot, and orchestra. Nor may many music lovers reading this review be familiar with the ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument with a sound similar to that of a theremin (more information here ). In general, Messiaen blends the sounds of the ondes Martenot and the piano with the sound of the orchestra rather than featuring either instrument in a concerto-like fashion, even though in concert performance, both instruments take their place in front of the orchestra, as they would for a concerto. There are passages, however, where Hamelin, one of […]
The Boston Musical Intelligencer
2024-02-29 19:16:31
NEP Piques Our Interest
[…] Playing a non-standardized instrument, mechanical features can differ dramatically from one instrument to the next; pistons are in different locations, the number of keyboards varies, the action is sensitive or sluggish (causing a disconcerting delay in sound). These kinds of radical shifts can be dangerously distracting during a live performance; playing with a score is less risky. Gil, I know that you often memorize scores you conduct, but Paul Jacobs has done the complete Bach, Messiaen, Brahms, and Franck from memory? Wadaya think of that? GR: Well, that’s got to be like 70 hours of music! Back to the current interview. Paul, what kind of an electronic organ will you be using? PJ: We’ll use an Allen Digital Organ for the performance. Since the venue doesn’t already have a pipe organ, we needed to secure a digital instrument for John Harbison’s superbly crafted composition to be programmed. My philosophy is […]
2024-02-29 07:43:00
One of the oldest-established festivals in the UK, the Norfolk & Norwich comes round in the merry month of May.
[…] Grote, Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral, will present a unique, meditative performance on the newly rebuilt cathedral organ - Sunday 12th May. One of the largest pipe organs in the country sporting an incredible 5,767 pipes ranging from ten metres to just an inch long, the instrument now harbours a marvellous and exciting sound after being painstakingly restored by world-renowned organ specialists, Harrison & Harrison. Therefore, in a programme devoted to works by Olivier Messiaen, Ashley will play three towering works of the organ repertoire showing Messiaen at his very best in what promises a marvellous and uplifting recital. In contrast to Messiaen, Norwich Cathedral will also resound to a different tune and music style with an emotive brand of folk-pop (Saturday, 18th May) featuring Kenny Anderson (aka King Creosote) whose latest album ‘I DES’ explores a kaleidoscopic musical terrain with vibraphones, accordions, e-bows and samplers. A record breaker, for […]
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