Olivier Messiaen Masterpieces
French composer, organist and ornithologist (1908–1992)
3
- organ
- opera, symphony
- France
- composer, organist, ornithologist, music teacher, musicologist, music theorist, pianist, university teacher, musician, librettist
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Olivier Messiaen: most famous pieces
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) left a body of work of more than 110 compositions. To discover his repertoire, the question is: where to start? Perhaps with his main compositions and most famous works. But what are best known or most important works of Olivier Messiaen? How do they fit into his career, throughout his creative activity? Which genre dominates: instrumental music, vocal music or other? And beyond that, in what artistic and musical context: what other composers were at the same time, famous contemporaries of Messiaen?
soclassiq offers you here, without bias, a selection of 5 major works to discover and listen to, like “Quartet for the End of Time” or “Turangalîla-Symphonie”. This selection is completed by 5 other compositions that are also quite famous. For sure the best of Olivier Messiaen, to make you want to go further with his other pieces or with the work of other composers who have significant similarities with the work of Messiaen.
Creative activity
based on dated works only
Duration of the works
(average or estimed)
Number of works
1917
76 years
1992
Number of works
Duration of the works (average or estimed)
Work for choir (7)
Song, lied (8)
Opera (1)
Work for soloist (35)
Work for chamber orchestra (15)
Work for orchestra (10)
Work for orchestra with soloist (5)
not qualified (1)
Other renowned works
1992 - Flashes on the beyond
1986 - Le Livre du Saint-Sacrement
1971 - From the canyons to the stars…
1965 - And we await the resurrection of the dead
1934 - The Ascension
This selection of works is not the result of personal preferences or artistic opinion. Selected works come from an exclusive data analysis method developed by soclassiq.
The dating of the works can be precise or sometimes approximate. It may correspond to the premiere date or publication year or completion of the composition (that can be several years after its first public execution).
1900 .. 1990 : the essential composers
1882-1971 Igor Stravinsky °
1860-1911 Gustav Mahler °
1865-1957 Jean Sibelius °
1862-1918 Claude Debussy °
1875-1937 Maurice Ravel °
1873-1943 Sergei Rachmaninoff °
1858-1924 Giacomo Puccini °
1864-1949 Richard Strauss °
1857-1934 Edward Elgar °
1928-2020 Ennio Morricone
1863-1945 Pietro Mascagni
1906-1975 Dmitri Shostakovich °
° : Masterpieces listed
On stage or recorded, listen these essential works Olivier Messiaen
Meet the greatest works of classical music
Currently, 25000+ works are listed for a small selection of 101 composers among thousands listed here. Many composers are missing of which some are essential: J. Rodriguo, C. Franck, H. Gorecki, C. Nielsen, J.Corigliano, P. Hindemith, C. Ives, A. Webern ... New catalogues will be processed later to complete this experience of the discovery of the classical music masterpieces. Thus this selection of works will be updated.
Vocal music
Incidental music
Through the ages
Some major genres or forms among the 150 listed
Concerto, Symphony, Rhapsody, Sonata, Lied, Mass, Suite, Trio, Quartet, Quintet, Waltz, March, Operetta, ...
Composed for piano, harpsichord, organ, violin, cello, viola, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, string orchestra, string quartet, ...
The purpose of these pages is to point out few relevant works only among tens of thousands and to provide some chronological references.