Messiaen: L'Ascension, Le Tombeau resplendissant, Les Offrandes oubliées, Un sourire

Featuring

Paavo Järvi
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Olivier Messiaen

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Composer's Artistic Vision

In "Un sourire," Messiaen aimed to capture Mozart's attitude of serene cheerfulness despite adversity, rather than imitating his musical style.

Composition History

Messiaen composed "Un sourire" (A Smile) in 1989 for the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France to honor the bicentenary of Mozart's death.

Interpretation

Paavo Järvi finds Messiaen's music to have an "absolutely unique voice" and an "inescapable sense of meaning" in its harmonic language, even when it seems unpredictable.

Composer Biography

Olivier Messiaen, a prominent 20th-century composer, served as the titular organist at the church of Sainte-Trinité in Paris for 60 years, starting in 1931.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Messiaen identified four key aspects of his music: his focus on rhythm, his use of color associations, his work as an ornithologist, and his Catholic Christian faith.

Recording & Production

This album features live recordings made at Tonhalle Maag Zürich in January and April 2019, with "Un sourire" specifically recorded in January 2019.

Performer Biography

Paavo Järvi, the chief conductor on this album, grew up in a family of conductors, with his father Neeme Järvi being a significant influence on his musical career.