Quartet for the End of Time
Posted by: Tam on 02 December 2007
Last Sunday I heard a magical concert performance of this work from noted Messiaen pianist Peter Hill (whose survey of the composer's work is well worth a listen) and three principles from the SCO (David Watkin on cello, Maximiliano Martin on clarinet and Christopher George on violin).
It made me think once again that my sole recording (which I only have because it was coupled with Rattle's Turangalila symphony) from Saschko Gawriloff (violin), Hans Deinzer (clarinet), Siegfried Palm (cello) and Aloys Kontarsky (piano) isn't really as good as it could be.
So, does anyone have any better recommendations for this work?
In the first half of the concert Hill gave a very interesting talk (when he isn't being a pianist, he has also co-written Messiaen's biography and teaches at Sheffield University) about the composer and the work, including debunking some of Messiaen's taller tales (such as that the cello in the first performance only had 3 strings, or that it was given outside before 5000 prisoners). He also played us a rather fascinating recording of the composer improvising on the organ at the end of a mass. He's coming back in the spring to play a solo concert, I'll certainly be attending.
regards, Tam
It made me think once again that my sole recording (which I only have because it was coupled with Rattle's Turangalila symphony) from Saschko Gawriloff (violin), Hans Deinzer (clarinet), Siegfried Palm (cello) and Aloys Kontarsky (piano) isn't really as good as it could be.
So, does anyone have any better recommendations for this work?
In the first half of the concert Hill gave a very interesting talk (when he isn't being a pianist, he has also co-written Messiaen's biography and teaches at Sheffield University) about the composer and the work, including debunking some of Messiaen's taller tales (such as that the cello in the first performance only had 3 strings, or that it was given outside before 5000 prisoners). He also played us a rather fascinating recording of the composer improvising on the organ at the end of a mass. He's coming back in the spring to play a solo concert, I'll certainly be attending.
regards, Tam
Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Erich Grenberg ~<>~ Violin
Gervase de Payer ~<>~ Clarinet
William Pleeth ~<>~ Cello
Michel Beroff ~<>~ Piano
Recorded in 1969 and digitally remastering @ 1991 by EMI Records
Hello Tam, i beleive this is the cd you have?...
I don't actually own this cd, it's a lend from a friend... He knows my habit of feeding the garden birds and so often the tossing out of my window a half eaten apple for my visiting blackbird... Although my friendly neighbourhood Robin is always nearby and holds down a decent tune too, but that's a very different composition : )
I felt a lot of fasination listerning to the Turangalila-Symphonie with it's fantastic use of percussion giving my sbl's a jolly good work out, although over-repetition of a trumpet rift at times is concerning. But it never ceases to amaze me how much brilliant music there is out there by composers who are not household names.
This EMI Classics version is excellent imho and is on my amazon wish list, along with 50 other cd's, so will have to wait a while.
The 'Quatuor pour la fin du temps' is delightful, although i strangely found parts of it rather creepy reminding me of hammer horror soundtrack. Maybe this is how my mind works with this peculiar music... it's certainly not going to be to everyones taste!
'Le Merie noir' is strait off the bird table and very enjoyable indeed!
Sorry i can't help you we a better version, but if one is found... i'm interested too! : )
kind regards ~
nymph