Wait! What? DId I just hear that? It has to be the WORST version I've ever heard…but it certainly is the fastest at 6:34. I have a recording of Kevin Bowyer knocking it out in 7:12—a touch fast for my taste but he articulates it beautifully. At t'other end of the spectrum, Timothy Byram-Wigfield manages to stretch it out for a full 10 minutes. My favourite version has to be Olivier Latry giving it large on the magnificent Cavaillé-Coll instrument at Notre-Dame—five full stops en-chamade? Mental!
There's an excellent version of Latry playing DPN at the Esztergom Cathedral In Hungary on YouTube:
Even though the organ is incomplete (only 50 stops out of 147) it's still an incredible instrument: the mixtures have to be heard to be believed.
The most bizarre version I've come across is this:
DPN played on an accordion? Astonishing virtuosity!
To my mind, Messiaen is the most important composer of the 20th century and DPN is my Number 1 favourite piece of all time. To hear it played so badly is an affront to The Master. I shall now have to cleanse my ears out with a decent version. Hmm, I think I'll give Naji Hakim's intrepretation a bash…
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Wait! What? DId I just hear that? It has to be the WORST version I've ever heard…but it certainly is the fastest at 6:34. I have a recording of Kevin Bowyer knocking it out in 7:12—a touch fast for my taste but he articulates it beautifully. At t'other end of the spectrum, Timothy Byram-Wigfield manages to stretch it out for a full 10 minutes. My favourite version has to be Olivier Latry giving it large on the magnificent Cavaillé-Coll instrument at Notre-Dame—five full stops en-chamade? Mental!
There's an excellent version of Latry playing DPN at the Esztergom Cathedral In Hungary on YouTube:
Even though the organ is incomplete (only 50 stops out of 147) it's still an incredible instrument: the mixtures have to be heard to be believed.
The most bizarre version I've come across is this:
DPN played on an accordion? Astonishing virtuosity!
To my mind, Messiaen is the most important composer of the 20th century and DPN is my Number 1 favourite piece of all time. To hear it played so badly is an affront to The Master. I shall now have to cleanse my ears out with a decent version. Hmm, I think I'll give Naji Hakim's intrepretation a bash…
Chas =:~)