Messiaen: Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité (Movimentos Edition)

Featuring

Daniel Beilschmidt
Olivier Messiaen

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Messiaen, a passionate ornithologist, viewed birdsong as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and a symbol of God's creation.

Composition History

The Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité, Messiaen's penultimate organ cycle, was inspired by the inscription 'Gloria Patri et Filii et Spiritui Sancto' in the Église de la Sainte-Trinité.

Interpretation

Daniel Beilschmidt, the organist, believes that while a religious motivation is essential for playing the Méditations, one does not need to be Catholic to interpret the music properly.

Instruments

The organ in La Trinité, Paris, has a unique acoustic quality where the sound reflects off the vaulted ceiling, creating a multifaceted and multidimensional sound.

Compositional Technique

Messiaen's Méditations combine diverse elements such as polyharmonic chords, 12-tone and serial music techniques, Gregorian chant, ancient Indian and Greek rhythms, and birdsong.

Composer Biography

Olivier Messiaen, the composer, served as the organist and cantor at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris for over 60 years.

Recording & Production

This recording of Messiaen's Méditations was made on the organ of the Église de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris, the church where Messiaen himself served as organist for 60 years.