Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue d'Oiseaux (Pierre-Laurent Aimard)

Information

Composer: Olivier Messiaen

CD1

1. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 1er livre: I. Le chocard des alpes
2. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 1er livre: II. Le loriot
3. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 1er livre: III. Le merle bleu
4. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 2er livre: IV. Le traquet stapazin
5. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 3er livre: V. La chouette hulotte
6. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 3er livre: VI. L'alouette lulu

CD2

1. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 4er livre: VII. La rousserolle effarvatte

CD3

1. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 5er livre: VIII. L'alouette calandrelle
2. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 5er livre: IX. La bouscarle
3. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 6er livre: X. Le merle de roche
4. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 7er livre: XI. La buse variable
5. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 7er livre: XII. Le traquet rieur
6. Catalogue d'oiseaux, 7er livre: XIII. Le courlis cendré

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

Date: 2018

Label: PentaTone

-----------------------------------------------------------

Review

Catalogue d’oiseaux should not work. From the deceptively bald title, via the disjunct between capturing the sounds of birds and evoking sights, smells and feelings, to its vast length and fearsome technical demands, Messiaen’s grand ornithological cycle of 13 nature portraits for solo piano is an absurd proposition. And yet, he makes it work through sheer force of compositional personality. This is no dry listing, but a varied series of compelling musical dramas that become ever more fascinating on each reacquaintance.

Few are better acquainted than Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and this set is clearly a long-pondered act of love. Individual pieces appeared on earlier releases, but here the focus is exclusively, devotedly to the cycle as a whole, with no compulsion to include the later birdsong works. The handsome set, which sounds wonderful in both stereo and surround sound, also includes a bonus DVD with Aimard’s thoughts about each piece and (spoiler alert) even a couple of (fake) feathers. Needless to say, Aimard possesses the necessary dazzling virtuosity, but also the exceptionally broad palette of colour and timbral precision. In his hands, the opening of the gorgeous nocturne ‘L’Alouette lulu’ is a masterclass in balance, ‘Le merle bleu’ has an enthralling clear-sighted beauty while there is visceral power to the explosions of joy in ‘Le Traquet rieur’.

On occasion Aimard’s own vocalisations creep into the picture. While potentially distracting, they ultimately serve as a reminder of the deep humanity underpinning the music and Aimard’s performance of this paean to nature.

— Christopher Dingle

-----------------------------------------------------------

Olivier Messiaen (10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist and teacher renowned for his highly original compositions. After studying at the Paris Conservatory with Dukas, Widor and Dupré, among others, he became organist at Sainte-Trinité in Paris in 1931. During World War II, he composed Quartet for the End of Time while imprisoned in Germany. As a teacher at the Paris Conservatory, he mentored leading composers such as Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen. His major works include Turangalîla-Symphonie, Catalogue d’oiseaux, and the opera St. François d’Assise.

***

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (born 9 September 1957) is a French pianist. He studied at the Conservatories in Lyon and Paris, and also with with Yvonne Loriod and Maria Curcio. Aimard is particularly committed to contemporary music; he was the soloist in several premieres of works by Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti. One of his most notable recordings is that of the first two books of Ligeti's piano études. In addition to his work with contemporary music, Aimard has recorded the five Beethoven piano concertos. He has recorded for Sony Classical, Teldec, Deutsche Grammophon and PentaTone labels.

-----------------------------------------------------------