Alternate Title Messiaen / Pärt
Country of Origin United States
Description Both Arvo Pärt and Olivier Messiaen are mystical composers in passionate pursuit of the divine. Prefaced by the floating voices of Gregorian chant, Pärt’s ethereal Psalom is raptly suffused with medieval religious song. Next are two visionary statements by the twentieth century French master Olivier Messiaen, whose every note embodied his strong Catholic faith.
In Oiseaux exotiques, Messiaen painstakingly transcribed birdsong to express the idea of God in nature. Pärt’s Te Deum for chorus and orchestra (a best-selling ECM recording) ends the evening on a note of sacred euphony.
Identifier 1997f.00618
