Credits:

MESSIAEN,OLIVIER

Description:

French composer Olivier Messiaen’s (1908-1992) “From the Gorge to the Stars” was commissioned by American singer and music promoter Alice Talley. It was completed in 1974 and premiered on November 20 of that year at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City (Musica Eterna Orchestra, Frederick Waldman conducting). The ensemble is characterized by Messiaen’s typical variety of instruments: woodwinds, brass, keyboards, and five percussionists switch between instruments never before seen, including a wind machine, and the 13 string players are so ingenious that each is treated as a soloist. The piano also plays a major role, sometimes taking complete solos in some pieces.This performance is by the recently popular duo of Eschenbach and Zimon Barthes, and the way Barthes’ piano sings with ease against the carefully woven orchestral sound is reminiscent of a vast, endless land. This is