Michael Bonaventure - Olivier Messiaen: Livre du Saint Sacrement (2008) 2 CDs

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Michael Bonaventure - Olivier Messiaen: Livre du Saint Sacrement (2008) 2 CDs

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Although he composed hardly any music directly for the liturgy, it is no surprise that Messiaen’s last and longest organ work should be a set of meditations on the Eucharist. The 18 movements of the Livre du Saint Sacrement stand as the composer’s summa for his own instrument in much the same way as his opera, Saint François d’Assise, acts as a summa for just about everything else. Following hard on the heels of a fine performance of the Méditations (reviewed last issue), and a couple of caveats aside, this new account from Michael Bonaventure is a magnificent achievement. His finely judged registrations for the Rieger organ at St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, produces a wide palette of colours, from the intimate sensitivity of ‘Institution de l’eucharistie’ to the exuberant birdsong of ‘La joie de la grâce’. Bonaventure also has a fine pacing for this marathon cycle, though a little more space in the two ‘Prière’ movements would be welcome. The ninth movement, ‘Les ténèbres’, which depicts the various kinds of darkness following the death of Jesus, is the one that does not quite fire. There is a surprising lack of power from the pedals, and, whereas he hangs on gloriously to the dazzling ending of ‘La résurrection du Christ’, Bonaventure releases the eerie final chord of ‘Les ténèbres’ before it has had its full chilling effect. Nonetheless, from the unassuming opening of ‘Adoro te’ to the seven searing chords at the end of ‘Offrande et alleluia final’, Bonaventure is utterly compelling and can be heartily recommended.

Review by Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine

Lasting close to two hours, with 18 movements, Messiaen's Livre du Saint Sacrement is the composer's longest and most monumental work for organ. It is also his last organ work, so it represents his final thoughts on the instrument that was central to his career as a composer and a performer. Many of its movements are based on his improvisations at Église de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris, which his wife recorded, and which he then worked into finished compositions. It incorporates the breadth of the Messiaen's inspirations and techniques: chant, birdsong, his devout Catholicism, his exotic modalities with their synesthetic associations with color, his dramatically abrupt juxtaposition of disparate elements, and his unique rhythmic systems. The 18 movements are divided into three sections; the first four are meditations in preparation for Communion, the next seven based on events in Jesus' life, and the last seven based on the mysteries of the sacrament. The formal scheme may not be immediately apparent to the listener, but what come across are depictions of raw grandeur interspersed with moments of deep intimacy.

Organist Michael Bonaventure plays with the requisite breadth and sweep to pull the massive work together. It is notoriously difficult to capture the experience of an organ as large and complex as the one recorded here, from St. Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. Sounds that are so physically enveloping are inevitably diminished when compressed into a recording, so much is lost. This music, even more than most, needs to be experienced in live performance to be fully absorbed, but within their limitations the engineers do an admirable job of conveying its sonic depth and brilliance, and the effect can be overwhelming.

Review by Stephen Eddins, Allmusic.com

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Michael Bonaventure - Olivier Messiaen: Livre du Saint Sacrement (2008) 2 CDs

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Michael Bonaventure - Olivier Messiaen: Livre du Saint Sacrement (2008) 2 CDs

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