Messiaen: Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité, I/49
8/9/2019, 9 Tracks, 1:14:27
Featuring
Tom Winpenny
Olivier Messiaen
Did you know?
1/7
Composition History
The Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité originated from Messiaen's improvisations at a 1967 centenary event for the rebuilt organ of La Trinité church in Paris.
Compositional Technique
Messiaen's 'communicable language' is an innovation where each letter of the alphabet is assigned a unique pitch and note value, extended to include grammatical cases and verbs.
Composer Biography
Messiaen was appointed organist at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris in 1931 and held this position for over 60 years until his death.
Composer Biography
Despite never having seen an organ console before, Messiaen joined Marcel Dupré's organ class in 1927 and quickly mastered Bach's Fantasia in C minor.
Composer Biography
Olivier Messiaen, a towering figure in 20th-century European music, entered the Paris Conservatoire at a remarkably early age in 1919.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Messiaen's highly personal musical language was deeply influenced by the natural world, Eastern cultures, and his devout Catholicism.
Performer Biography
Tom Winpenny, the organist on this recording, is the Assistant Master of the Music at St Albans Cathedral and previously served as sub-organist at St Paul's Cathedral, London.
