Mystic: The Musical Visions of Olivier Messiaen (1996)
Classical | EAC (APE & CUE) | 359 MB
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Classical | EAC (APE & CUE) | 359 MB
Various mirrors: Rapidshare, Depositfiles, Megaupload & more!
Mystic: The Musical Visions of Olivier Messiaen is a sort of greatest-hits package for Messiaen that followed in the wake of the composer's death in 1992, though it did not appear until 1996. It is a Messiaen compilation that shapes certain movements taken out of longer works into a sort of easy listening context, which does provide some clues to the uninitiated as to how to access Messiaen, but in itself, it is a little disingenuous. There are no transcribed birdcalls, no "Chronochromie," nothing from "Quatour du le fin de temps," nor anything else that indicates what a challenging and intense composer Messiaen was. Just the prettiest parts of some pieces that are not in themselves necessarily very "pretty," couched in a sort of vaguely stated mysticism. The individual movements themselves are certainly well done and recorded—all of them are taken from the exemplary work of conductor Myung-Whun Chung for Deutsche Grammophon, recordings that Messiaen himself regarded as authoritative. But these pieces deserve to be heard in the context to which they belong, even if it is part of an unwieldy and sometimes messy 10-movement symphony such as the "Turangilila." However, as a disc with which to get one's feet wet in Messiaen, Mystic is not so bad—just bear in mind that there are a lot more ingredients to Messiaen's celestial banquet than this disc would imply.Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide
- Tracklist
1 Concert à quatre, for flute, cello, piano & orchestra: Vocalise
2 Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot & orchestra: Joy of the Blood of the Stars
3 Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot & orchestra: Garden of Love's Sleep
4 Quatuor pour la fin du temps, for violin, cello, clarinet & piano: Louange à l'éternité de Jésus (Praise to the Immortality of Jesus
5 Eclairs sur l'au-delá, for orchestra: To Remain in Love
6 L' Ascension, 4 meditations for orchestra: Movement I
7 L' Ascension, 4 meditations for orchestra: Movement II
8 L' Ascension, 4 meditations for orchestra: Movement III
9 L' Ascension, 4 meditations for orchestra: Movement IV
Albert Tétard (Cello)
Mstislav Rostropovich (Cello)
Daniel Barenboim (Piano)
Yvonne Loriod (Piano)
Catherine Cantin (Flute)
Heinz Holliger (Oboe)
Jeanne Loriod (Ondes martenot)
Maison de la Mutualite, Opera Bastille
Orchestra of the Opéra-Bastille
Chung Myung-Whun, conductor
Running time: 75:18
Deutsche Grammophon: 449 377-2