Messiaen Vingt Regards Sur L'enfant Jesus (nos. 1 6) Anton Batagov (1990)

Messiaen - Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Nos. 1-6) - Anton Batagov (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00041 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | 6 Tracks | TT 48:10 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 145.16 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Instrumental / Piano

Olivier Messiaen (b. 1908) — one of the major contemporary composers — is by rights regarded to be a 20th-century classic. Among Messiaen's pupils are K. Stockhausen, P. Boulez, I. Xenakis whose names are associated with the extreme musical avant-garde of the second half of our century. Yet works by Messiaen himself belong to the traditional musical art. This is explained 1st of all by the composer's ethical outlook which is deeply rooted in the traditions of Christian-Catholic culture.

Messiaen - Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Nos. 7-14) - Anton Batagov (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00042 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | TT 45:56 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 154.16 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Instrumental / Piano

О. Messiaen's "Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus" (24 Looks at the Child Jesus) which became a land-mark in the composer's career was written in 1945.
The composing technique of "Looks' is a fine alloy of devices borrowed from different — both in historical & aesthetical sense — artistic systems: ancient Indian rhythms & ancient Greek poetical metrics, Gregorian chants & oriental modes, medieval symbolism of colour & numbers; we also find in this work artistic embodiment of modern micro — & macrophysics & ornithology.

Messiaen - Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Nos. 15-20) - Anton Batagov (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00043 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | 6 Tracks | TT 66:04 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 204.67 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Instrumental / Piano

О. Messiaen's "Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus" (24 Looks at the Child Jesus) which became a land-mark in the composer's career was written in 1945.
The composing technique of "Looks" is a fine alloy of devices borrowed from different — both in historical & aesthetical sense — artistic systems: ancient Indian rhythms & ancient Greek poetical metrics, Gregorian chants & oriental modes, medieval symbolism of colour and numbers; we also find in this work artistic embodiment of modern micro — & macrophysics & ornithology.

”The mystery of incarnation is the most beautiful aspect of divinity – and it is the reason why I am a Christian. I do not consider the differences between Orthodox, Protestant or Catholic: a Christian is someone who understands that God has come.”” (Olivier Messiaen). From the point of view of music history, Vingt Regards is a milestone of 20th century piano literature; spiritually it is an offering of Christmas “spiritual piano exercises” in 20 contemplations. Olivier Messiaen summarizes it as follows: “More than in any of my previous work I sought a language of mystical love that is multifaceted, powerful and tender; sometimes even terrifying. All with the greatest vividness possible.” Alfonso Gomez, one of the most eminent specialists for 20th and 21st century piano music, offers his new reading of this masterpiece by Olivier Messiaen.

Composed in 1944 and first performed at the Salle Gaveau in Paris on 26 March 1945 by Yvonne Loriod, this is the second great pianistic cycle by Olivier Messiaen: a major work indeed, not only in the composer’s oeuvre but in the entire repertoire for solo piano. As we know, its origin is in the faith and spirituality of Olivier Messiaen, who described it as: ‘The Contemplation of the Child-God in the cradle, and the gazes fixed upon Him: from the inexpressible Gaze of God the Father to the multiple Gaze of the Church of love, also taking in the unheard Gaze of the Spirit of joy, the tender Gaze of the Virgin, of the Angels, of the Magi, and of those creatures that are immaterial or symbolic (Time, Extreme Height, Silence, the Star, the Cross).’ He continues: ‘It is a complex of sounds destined for perpetual variations, pre-existing in the abstract as a series, but very concrete and easy to recognize by their colours: a steely grey-blue traversed by bright red and orange, a mauve-tinted violet spotted with leather-brown and encircled in deep purple.’ The vision of this work transmitted by Martin Helmchen – a great piano virtuoso who is himself marked by a strong sense of spirituality – is another substantial contribution to the Messiaenic monument.