It's Not British but...Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps

Three things will assist the listener who is not familiar with the Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time) for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. Firstly, it is important to understand that in 1940/41 Olivier Messiaen was being held as a prisoner of war at Stalag VIII-A Görlitz, Lower Silesia. Secondly, through the auspices of a sympathetic German camp commander, Franzpeter Goebels, the composer had fresh manuscript paper and a piano to practice on. And, most importantly, the premiere performance on 15 January 1941 was either given in the camp theatre or out in the bitter cold. Some 400 fellow prisoners and some camp administrators were in attendance. Messiaen later recalled that “Never have I been heard with as much attention and understanding.”

The liner notes give details of the original soloists: Jean Le Boulaire (violin), Henri Akoka (clarinet), Étienne Pasquier (cello) and Olivier Messiaen (piano).

The basic theological inspiration of the Quartet was a quotation from the last book in the New Testament, The Revelation of St John the Divine. Chapter 10: 1 declares that “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire …” The work is presented in eight hugely contrasting movements. This represents the seven days of Creation with the final eighth movement evoking Eternity. The general impact is “one of meditation, amity and detachment from the harsh realities of existence.”

My benchmark for any performance of Messiaen’s Quatuor is the resultant ability of the ensemble to “bend time.” Certainly, this is essential in the two heart-breaking slow movements: Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus and the Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus. Both last for about eight minutes but must create the impression that they will never stop, and that the listener would never want them to conclude. This is achieved here. I was impressed throughout by the contribution from the clarinettist, Ib Hausman, especially in the brilliant solo, Abîme des oiseaux. The unison playing in the Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes is clean and well controlled. Great contrast of dynamics is clear in the Vocalise, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du temps.

The booklet was assembled by Ib Hausman: it is printed in German and English. The programme notes are in three parts. Firstly, several personalized comments describing some of the challenges of performing the Quartet. The balance between the strict notation of the work and the fact that each musician “is allowed a certain degree of latitude for inspiration and improvisational freedom” is explained. This is followed by a brief overview of Messiaen’s life and milieu, with emphasis on the composer’s understanding of time and eternity. There is a historical introduction to the Quartet as well as a discussion of the first performance. The booklet includes a translation of Messiaen’s important preface and notes for each movement printed in the Edition Durand score.

There is a detailed resumes of the Amatis Trio and about the clarinettist Ib Hausman. This information can be accessed at their websites, here and here.

The duration of this disc seems a bit mean, with only 46 minutes of music. Seven years ago I reviewed an exceptional performance of this Quartet by the Ensemble Nordlys. (Review here). This Danacord CD managed to include the relatively rare Fantasie for violin and piano (1933) and the Thème et variations for violin and piano (1932). Enthusiasts of Messiaen will know of several other examples of his chamber music that could have been included: Le Merle Noir (1952) for solo flute, the Pièce pour piano et quatuor à cordes (1991), the Chant dans le style Mozart, Fugue sur le sujet de Georges Hüe (1930/31) and the Chant donneé (1953) which are all rarely heard. To be sure, they would have required an additional soloist.

This is an excellent and absorbing version of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps. There is nothing here to repel listeners who may regard some of his music as fearsome. Perhaps the theological superstructure may be difficult for some. However, if the piece is simply regarded as a meditation on the philosophical concept of eternity, and not as a religious tract, then the work can become a revelation to all.

Several years ago I counted more than 39 versions of the Quartet. Some 33 are currently listed on the Eurodisc webpage. The Quatuor pour la fin du temps is one of Olivier Messiaen’s undoubted and abiding masterworks and any new issue is always welcome. This present recording is especially appreciated for its attention to the nuanced balance between freedom of musical expression and the composer’s written demands.

Track Listing:
Olivier Messiaen (1908-92)
Quatuor pour la fin du temps for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (1940/41)
Ib Hausman (clarinet), Amatis Trio: Lea Hausmann (violin), Samuel Shepherd (cello), Mengjie Han (piano)
Rec. 2018, SWR Studio Kaiserslautern, Germany.
C-AVI MUSIC AVI 8553042 [46:00]

It’s not British, but Olivier Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur

For me, La Nativité du Seigneur was entry level for Olivier Messiaen’s music. At the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, where I attended in the mid-1970s, the organist Kenneth Dawkins was a great enthusiast of this composer. He used to play some of the slower music from La Nativité as an opening voluntary. The congregation did not appreciate it. They preferred Handel’s Largo, Easthope Martin’s Evensong and even my own offering of Procul Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale. Mr Dawkins played the entire suite for me in private. As a teenager, I was amazed by the sound world of Messiaen’s music heard in that organ loft. It all sounded so modern and even dangerously advanced, despite having been written some 40 years previously. I came to like La Nativité and many of Messiaen’s other organ works, probably because my elders and ‘betters’ didn’t’.

Olivier Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur was written in 1935 when he was only 27 years old. It was to decisively establish his reputation. Whether one likes or detests the composer’s music, this work is usually regarded as a masterpiece. La Nativité consists of nine meditations on the theme of the Nativity. But it is more than just the Christmas Story in music. It follows the events from the Virgin Birth to the Epiphany where God is revealed in Jesus Christ. Messiaen has built the work around his profound theological insights which can be discovered in any commentary on this work.

In fact, La Nativité du Seigneur is a relatively benign piece of music to listen to. It is infinitely much harder to play and analyse. The good news is that the listener is entitled to ignore the technicalities of synthetic modes and scales of limited transposition, the added value rhythms, the chains of augmented fifths chords, and other harmonic devices. Just hearing this music should be enough to bring enjoyment, satisfaction, and possibly some spiritual uplift.

I remember a friend telling me that she enjoyed the sound of this music but did not ‘get’ the religious symbolism. For her, this spoilt the entire experience. I am OK with the underlying theology, but can see from where she, and I guess many others, are coming from. There is a solution. The composer himself noted that some of the inspiration for this work came from the mountainous landscape around Grenoble where it was written. And then the whole kaleidoscopic imagery of French stained-glass windows fed into his imagination. Messiaen was ‘afflicted’ by chromesthesia, which is the ability to perceive various colours when hearing certain chords and notes, and presumably vice versa. I understand that there are also some early allusions to birdsong. All this leads me to think that La Nativité can be enjoyed as an abstract piece of music inspired by the numinous effect of light and landscape.

Currently, 19 versions of La Nativité are listed in the Archiv catalogue. Enthusiasts of this work will probably have a fair selection of them in their collections. I listen to La Nativité once a year, usually at Christmastide. For many years, my ‘go-to’ recording was played by Messiaen-specialist Jennifer Bate (Regis). As part of my preparation for this review, I revisited ‘Le Verbe’ from her recital. It is my favourite movement from this work and the one I use to judge other performances. I listened to the same piece played by Arkadiusz Bialic. It has all the attributes of a perfect performance and a considerable flair for interpretation. The balance between the power and the majesty of the meditation’s opening section and the long, almost timeless, lyricism reflecting the ‘eternal divine and ever-present word’ is ideal.

Throughout La Nativité Bialic’s pace seems just about right. Equally exciting was his registrations which are valuable for their interesting tonal colouring. I was enchanted by his magical playing in ‘Les Bergers’ which really did create an image of ‘a cold and frosty morning.’ Bialic is well able to create a prayerful mood, even when the music is moving rapidly. This is particularly important in the skittish ‘Les Anges’. Clearly, the final movement ‘Dieu Parmi Nous’ is a ‘Widorian’ Toccata, but even here, the result is a ‘theological’ paean of praise that brings the entire proceedings to a triumphant and optimistic conclusion: God incarnate is revealed to humankind as Jesus Christ.

The acoustic of the Divine Mercy Basilica in Cracow is excellent, allowing the powerful reed stops to be just as effective as the quieter flues and strings. I was able to hear every detail of the complex chords and ‘melodies.’

Why do some record companies insist on allowing artistic pretensions to overrule utility? The text of the booklet, which is an integral part of the gatefold CD is written in a small white font on a black background. With my eyesight it may as well be illegible. Looking at the DUX website for a .pdf download was no help. So, if I am honest, I ignored the text and listened to the music. That said, the booklet does include the full specification of the superb Woloman-based ZYCH organ. The organ builder’s website came up as unavailable, and Norton blocked an intrusion from it!

Finally, back to Kenneth Dawkins. He once told me that he and a friend had gone to hear a recital at Olivier Messiaen’s church in Paris, the Église de la Sainte-Trinité. They were all set for some of the Frenchman’s great organ suites. Imagine their surprise when the maestro presented an all-Bach programme.

Track Listing:

livier MESSIAEN (1908-92)

La Nativité du Seigneur (1935)

Arkadiusz Bialic (organ)

Rec. The Divine Mercy Basilica, Cracow, 23-24 November 2018

DUX 1557

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.