Olivier Messiaen

French composer, organist, pianist and ornithologist (1908–1992), known for integrating birdsong, advanced rhythmic techniques and deep religious themes into 20th-century music.

Messiaen's work is noted for synaesthetic associations (music and color), use of birdsong, novel rhythmic devices (non-retrogradable rhythms, added values), and religious inspiration. The Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps was composed and premiered during his wartime internment (Stalag VIII-A, premiere January 1941). Turangalîlà-Symphonie uses a very large orchestra, extensive percussion, piano solo and the Ondes Martenot.

Reviews emphasize Messiaen's religious inspiration, use of birdsong and novel rhythmic techniques (non-retrogradable rhythms, added values). The Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps is presented as a transcendent, sacred quartet composed and premiered during WWII (Stalag VIII-A, 1941). Turangalîla-Symphonie is described as a vast, exuberant symphony featuring large orchestra, prominent percussion, piano solo and the Ondes Martenot.

For:Listeners of modern classical music, students and researchers of 20th-century composition, fans of sacred and experimental music.