MESSIAEN EN DEUX TEMPS

An inspired composer. Two exhilarating works. A passionate pianist. Virtuoso musicians. An exceptional concert.

Profoundly imbued with spirituality, Messiaen’s music is also distinguished by its universality. To open the concert, Louise Bessette invites us to share a rare moment of eternity with four of the "Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus," a masterpiece abounding with the composer’s pianistic discoveries. The shimmering colours which illustrate the richness of her repertoire then unfold in "Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine." This music, suffused with the purity of the large unison women’s choir and the celestial sound of the ondes Martenot, is further enhanced by the forty performers gathered to play the work. It evokes the same sense of wonder that one experiences when entering a majestic cathedral.

“The music of the "Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine" is above all a music of colors. The “modes” that I use there are harmonic colors. Their juxtaposition and their superposition give: blues, reds, blues striped with red, mauves and grays spotted with orange...” - Olivier Messiaen