My favorite Messiaen work. An extraordinary and stylized evocation of nature. The various bird calls are indicated by name in the score, where they occur. Also indicated are such other natural elements as a gust of wind (33:45) rock formations, (35:20) and a "torrent" (bubbling brook) (35:32). The xylophone/marimba imitations of the Eurasian skylark (38:29, and other places) are notated with extreme precision, the metres changing every bar as in Stravinsky's Danse Sacrale but at TWICE the speed, and with alternating 1/8 note, 1/16 note, and 1/32 note values. It's too fast to conduct, so most conductors simply give a downbeat in these sections and remain motionless, letting the mallet players chirp on their own. The accompanying chimes player in this performance has memorized his part! In retrospect one can see that Messiaen's previous instrumental works in the 1950s were leading in the direction of Chronochromie, but this work is a one-of-a-kind explosion of creativity and newness. In fact, at its Paris premiere it caused one of those rare audience “riots”.
A lecture like this about music is like talking about the formation of clouds. It is totally profound and, at the same time, totally meaningless. Everything you have just heard tells you nothing about what you hear since music is a personal experience and each person experiences it in a different way. So don't take him too seriously; just sit back and enjoy...or not.
Such extraordinary music and performances speak for themselves so why make Boulez suffer through that schoolboy questionnaire when he has already written so brilliantly about Messiaen ?
Yeah. I used to love it as a teen. Now I think this is mostly boring. Would rather go for early Messian's work - you know, still some melodies, some soul...
@@PhilipDaniel yes Sir. It surely takes some living to fully get the juist of it. I was lucky enough to be in an environment where I discovered Olivier Messiaen aged 15. I'm 29 now and got many more tools and contemporary music under my belt to capire ! the langage ...
I agree, and had the same experience. Funny. It seemed so amazing at the time, now it seems a bit trite, which I guess makes me a philistine. And it's not like I dislike serial-ish composition. I love Webern, late Stravinsky, Berg, Bartok, etc etc. The "schtick" he uses (little birdies in the trees) gets kinda old after awhile. Again, I suppose I'm an ignorant, uncultured espèce d'idiot, but there you are!
Olivier Messiaen was a supreme musical genius; as a luminous demonstration of my previous statement it is enough to mention among the many and many marvellous pages written by him the "Quartet" with the sublime fifth movement "Louange a l'éternité de Jesus", "Apparition de l'Eglise eternelle", "Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum", "Eclairs", this Paradise of 20th century; besides many other compositions might be added to the long list of great masterpieces composed by him. Nonetheless I am compelled by my intellectual onesty to acknowledge that "Chronochromie" is boring, boring, unbearably boring: Messiaen in this composition was unfortunately a mere avangardist. ..
My favorite Messiaen work. An extraordinary and stylized evocation of nature. The various bird calls are indicated by name in the score, where they occur. Also indicated are such other natural elements as a gust of wind (33:45) rock formations, (35:20) and a "torrent" (bubbling brook) (35:32). The xylophone/marimba imitations of the Eurasian skylark (38:29, and other places) are notated with extreme precision, the metres changing every bar as in Stravinsky's Danse Sacrale but at TWICE the speed, and with alternating 1/8 note, 1/16 note, and 1/32 note values. It's too fast to conduct, so most conductors simply give a downbeat in these sections and remain motionless, letting the mallet players chirp on their own. The accompanying chimes player in this performance has memorized his part! In retrospect one can see that Messiaen's previous instrumental works in the 1950s were leading in the direction of Chronochromie, but this work is a one-of-a-kind explosion of creativity and newness. In fact, at its Paris premiere it caused one of those rare audience “riots”.
a stunning performance
I love oiseaux exotiques especially. So delightful. Boulez and Aimard are insanely brilliant! (Of course I meant sanely.)
39:43-41:00 is just so beautiful in a strange unnerving way.
Extraordinary.. Fantastique
Ouais grave !
Just reminded me to buy more bird seed, thanks!
19:22 Look at what the captions say. I'd say "wow" is an appropriate reaction XD
love it!!
Buena composicion
'Oiseaux Exotiques' simply stunnin! And with P. L. Aimard on piano I feel at home!!
A lecture like this about music is like talking about the formation of clouds. It is totally profound and, at the same time, totally meaningless. Everything you have just heard tells you nothing about what you hear since music is a personal experience and each person experiences it in a different way. So don't take him too seriously; just sit back and enjoy...or not.
sodelicious...........
Such extraordinary music and performances speak for themselves so why make Boulez suffer through that schoolboy questionnaire when he has already written so brilliantly about Messiaen ?
Messiaen always reminds me of the fact that birds were relatives of dinosaurs 🦖🦕
Pierre Boulez... Bierre Poulez 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂
the Parisian building where Messiaen lived, and at the very end of the video a Japanese blackbird.
th-cam.com/video/YyrgzSMtXOA/w-d-xo.html
Yeah. I used to love it as a teen. Now I think this is mostly boring. Would rather go for early Messian's work - you know, still some melodies, some soul...
I hated this as a teen but love it as an adult.
Messiaen "boring", Rubtsov snobish probably ? Hahahaha
@@PhilipDaniel yes Sir. It surely takes some living to fully get the juist of it. I was lucky enough to be in an environment where I discovered Olivier Messiaen aged 15. I'm 29 now and got many more tools and contemporary music under my belt to capire ! the langage ...
@@theogoldberg8919 fuck off mate, you are borin
I agree, and had the same experience. Funny. It seemed so amazing at the time, now it seems a bit trite, which I guess makes me a philistine.
And it's not like I dislike serial-ish composition. I love Webern, late Stravinsky, Berg, Bartok, etc etc. The "schtick" he uses (little birdies in the trees) gets kinda old after awhile. Again, I suppose I'm an ignorant, uncultured espèce d'idiot, but there you are!
Olivier Messiaen was a supreme musical genius; as a luminous demonstration of my previous statement it is enough to mention among the many and many marvellous pages written by him the "Quartet" with the sublime fifth movement "Louange a l'éternité de Jesus", "Apparition de l'Eglise eternelle", "Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum", "Eclairs", this Paradise of 20th century; besides many other compositions might be added to the long list of great masterpieces composed by him. Nonetheless I am compelled by my intellectual onesty to acknowledge that "Chronochromie" is boring, boring, unbearably boring: Messiaen in this composition was unfortunately a mere avangardist. ..
That's the same feeling i have about his late works, especially the ones that have the same orquestation (like this). All of them sound the same to me