Track Listing

1. Réveil des oiseaux, for piano & orchestra, I/40: Movement 1
2. Réveil des oiseaux, for piano & orchestra, I/40: Movement 2
3. Réveil des oiseaux, for piano & orchestra, I/40: Movement 3
4. Réveil des oiseaux, for piano & orchestra, I/40: Movement 4
5. Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, for women's chorus, piano, ondes martenot, percussion & strings, I/26: No. 1, "Antienn
6. Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, for women's chorus, piano, ondes martenot, percussion & strings, I/26: No. 2, "Sequenc
7. Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, for women's chorus, piano, ondes martenot, percussion & strings, I/26: No. 3, "Psalmod

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36322 in Music
• Released on: 1996-03-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Introduction to Messiaen
Conductor Kent Nagano has emerged in recent years as one of the foremost interpreters of the works of Olivier Messiaen. This CD, released shortly before Nagano's superb rendition of Messiaen's lone opera "Saint Francois d'Assise", shows two distinct sides of the composer's work. The first piece on the CD, "Reveil des oiseaux", is one of Messiaen's earliest "ornithological" works. In it, the various instruments of the orchestra portray the distinctive voices of literally dozens of birds. The ensemble playing, led by the composer's second wife Yvonne Loriod on piano, is first-rate. The second piece is "Trois petites liturgies" is one of the great mystical works in the Messiaen canon. Though some of the choral work in this selection is not as crisp as one might desire, the overall impact is powerful and moving. For Messiaen fans, this is essential listening; for those looking for an introduction to the composer's work, this is an excellent place to start.

Extremely well though out yet difficult to penetrate
From a music layman perspective, this is a very difficult piece to listen to. My wife performed it with the St. James Cathedral choir in Jan 2008 in Seattle, WA. I listened to the CD several times while she prepared and listened to her practice quite a bit. It is very interesting music, but should not be taken lightly, either.

If you want to enjoy it, you need to sit down and think about this the way you'd think about stats or math homework. It becomes satifying and stimulating as your understanding of the piece grows. Don't expect to like it the first time if you're not familiar with atonal stuff, but a lot of great music is that way -- it takes time to digest and understand what was going on in the composer's mind when s/he did what they did.