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Olivier Messiaen

  • Concerts

    Salzburg Festival 2023 / SWR Symphony Orchestra, Ingo Metzmacher: Messiaen – Éclairs sur l’Au-delà…

    by 5:4 July 26, 2023 • 12:42
    July 26, 2023 • 12:42

    During my recent time in Salzburg, i explored many of the city’s large number of churches. All of them were Catholic, and while they were undeniably impressive – none more so than the absurdly massive cathedral – it was striking to see the extent to which they were almost infeasibly …

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  • 20th CenturyCD/Digital releases

    Michael Gielen conducts Messiaen, Szymanowski & Penderecki

    by 5:4 November 4, 2022 • 16:10
    November 4, 2022 • 16:10

    Twentieth century music is at an interesting point in its history from the perspective of recordings. Contemporary music, for obvious reasons, is always the most under-represented, whereas works from the last hundred years are beginning to reach the stage where’s there’s a more meaningful range of recordings available. In the …

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  • Mixtapes

    Mixtape #64 : War

    by 5:4 April 1, 2022 • 10:21
    April 1, 2022 • 10:21

    For the spring 5:4 mixtape the theme has felt tragically unavoidable. i’ve opted to approach the subject of war partly in a generalised way, but it would have been disingenuous not to reflect the specifics of what Ukraine is currently being subjected to by Russia. The mix therefore opens with …

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  • Lent SeriesPremières

    Olivier Messiaen – Un oiseau des arbres de Vie (Oiseau tui) (World Première)

    by 5:4 March 25, 2021 • 05:00
    March 25, 2021 • 05:00

    For the next work in this year’s nature-themed Lent Series i’m turning to not so much a fully-fleshed, self-contained composition, but something of a miniature curiosity, an outtake saved from the cutting-room floor that’s subsequently been restored. Olivier Messiaen‘s final orchestral work, Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà…, completed in 1991, was a …

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  • CD/Digital releasesListenings

    February/March 2017 listenings

    by 5:4 April 20, 2017 • 08:26
    April 20, 2017 • 08:26

    Of the music that’s been making a special impact on me in the last couple of months, i particularly want to flag up various albums of piano music. Peter Hill‘s renowned three-disc recording of Olivier Messiaen‘s epic cycle Catalogue d’Oiseaux has been reissued under license from Unicorn by Treasure Island Music. i …

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  • Mixtapes

    Mixtape #38 : Organ

    by 5:4 April 1, 2017 • 10:09
    April 1, 2017 • 10:09

    The theme of the new 5:4 mixtape is one i’ve been wanting to explore for a long while: the organ. It’s an instrument with which i’ve had a pretty infatuated relationship since my teenage years, both as a listener and as a very occasional practitioner (organ was my second study alongside …

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  • 20th CenturyBlasts from the Past

    Blasts from the Past: Olivier Messiaen – Quatuor pour la fin du temps

    by 5:4 January 15, 2016 • 09:55
    January 15, 2016 • 09:55

    World premières are understandably exciting occasions—but, equally, they can often be fraught with difficulty and no little controversy. The annals of music history contain many such examples, from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring to Cage’s 4’33”, but today marks the 75th anniversary of one of the most legendary and poignant of …

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  • CD/Digital releases

    New releases: Messiaen, Paul Dolden, Richard Uttley, iamamiwhoami, Davíð Brynjar Franzson, Shivers

    by 5:4 November 19, 2014 • 22:00
    November 19, 2014 • 22:00

    Among the crop of more interesting recent releases is a reissue of Messiaen‘s complete organ works that is easily the most affordable currently available. Treasure Island Music has brought together the famous recordings made by Jennifer Bate in the late 1970s/early 1980s—originally issued by Unicorn-Kanchana/Regis—in a 6-CD slimline box set …

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  • Festive

    Messiaen on Speed (or Dieu parmi nous – what not to do)

    by 5:4 December 25, 2011 • 10:31
    December 25, 2011 • 10:31

    Being Christmas Day, organists up and down the land will be putting Messiaen‘s Dieu parmi nous through its paces. In the UK, it’s become practically as ubiquitous as Handel’s Messiah, so with the wonderful and timeless “Messiah on Crack” in mind, i offer you what we might perhaps call “Messiaen …

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  • Mixtapes

    Mixtape #6 : Piano

    by 5:4 May 31, 2008 • 07:48
    May 31, 2008 • 07:48

    For years, the piano has been to me an object of fascination and awe; its range of capabilities, expressive potential and timbral variety are breathtaking. Also for years, these qualities were the very things preventing me from attempting to compose something for it. Listening to piano music is a supreme …

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  • Drama/Documentary

    Interpretations on Record: Messiaen – Turangalîla-Symphonie

    by 5:4 May 23, 2008 • 13:17
    May 23, 2008 • 13:17

    Radio 3 now calls it simply “CD Review”, but a few years back it was known as “Interpretations on Record”. Each programme focuses on a particular composition, examining the available recordings with the intention of choosing one that is arguably better than the others. This is an edition of the …

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  • Miscellaneous

    Messiaen’s Méditations – the greatest organ work of all time?

    by 5:4 May 18, 2008 • 21:49
    May 18, 2008 • 21:49

    Trinity Sunday, and an opportunity to share one of the most prized CDs of my collection. It’s a complete recording of Olivier Messiaen‘s organ cycle Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité, performed by Messiaen himself on the organ of the Parisian church where he was organist for most …

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  • Mixtapes

    Mixtape #4 : Miniatures

    by 5:4 April 14, 2008 • 08:22
    April 14, 2008 • 08:22

    This new mixtape began life as one of my playlists on iTunes, which simply specified that it should only include tracks under two minutes in duration. Surprisingly, 815 tracks from my music library fulfil this criteria, amounting to over 15 hours of music. Not surprisingly, this playlist makes for an …

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5:4
  • About
    • Other writings
  • Patrons
  • The Lists
    • Listening History
    • Complete List of Ratings
    • Compositions explored on 5:4
    • Albums and EPs reviewed on 5:4
    • Festivals reviewed on 5:4
    • Best Albums of the Years
    • The Proms premières – Poll results
  • The Dialogues
  • Mixtapes
    • Mixtapes
    • The Isolation Mixtapes
    • Mystery Mixtapes
    • Podcasts
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Submission Contact Form