From the Canyons to the Stars: The Music of Olivier Messiaen
The festival culminates in a visit from Messiaen's celebrated pupil, Pierre Boulez, who performs with the Festival's Artistic Director Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Ensemble intercontemporain.
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From the Canyons to the Stars is a partnership between Southbank Centre, Philharmonia
Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, the Royal Academy of Music and London's major churches and cathedrals, under the artistic
directorship of Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
events in this series
Westminster Cathedral Unres
Jennifer Bate, organ
Wednesday 21 May 2008
Le Livre du Saint Sacrement, Messiaen's last great organ cycle, in nine huge and symbolic movements, is played by acclaimed organist Jennifer Bate, who personally collaborated with Messiaen in concerts and recordings of his organ works.
£10 unreserved seating
Westminster Abbey
Dame Gillian Weir
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Dame Gillian Weir collaborated with Messiaen in performances of this nine-movement sequence of Meditations on the Mystery of the Holy Trinity (1969), a work which displays the composer's use of birdsong, Hindu rhytms and Gregorian chant.
£10 unreserved
Westminster Abbey
James O'Donnell
Tuesday 22 July 2008
James O'Donnell explores the relationships between Messiaen and his peers.
£10 unreserved
Westminster Cathedral Unres
John Scott, organ
Wednesday 27 August 2008
Organist John Scott performs the colourful, five-movement Messe de la Pentecote (1950) with its sumptuous ‘Communion’ with birdsong and droplets of water, and a stirring ‘Sortie’.
£10 unreserved
Brompton Oratory
Charles Cole
Monday 6 October 2008
Organist Charles Cole performs works by Messiaen as part of From the Canyons to the Stars: The Music of Olivier Messiaen.
Admission free, no ticket required
Brompton Oratory
John McGreal
Monday 13 October 2008
Accomplished organist John McGreal performs as part of From the Canyons to the Stars: The Music of Olivier Messiaen.
Admission free, no ticket required
Queen Elizabeth Hall
London Sinfonietta & Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Gerard Grisey, a student of Messiaen's, took 11 years to compose Les espaces acoustiques.
£22 £17 £13 £8
Royal Festival Hall
Philharmonia Orchestra
Thursday 16 October 2008
A performance of Olivier Messiaen's grandest work for orchestra, chorus and soloists, La Transfiguration de notre seigneur Jesus-Christ.
£38 £29 £23 £18 £14 £11 £8 Premium seats £45
Royal Academy of Music
Symposium: Messiaen's Piano Music
Friday 17 October 2008
A day of talks and discussions on Messiaen's piano music, with contributions from pianists Peter Hill and Pierre-Laurant Aimard.
Admission free
Royal Academy of Music D
Royal Academy of Music students
Friday 17 October 2008
A performance including Messiaen's irrepressible Canteyodjaya and two movements from the Catalogue d'oiseaux, which vividly depict natural phenomena such as rock formations and crashing waves.
£6
Brompton Oratory
Patrick Russill
Monday 20 October 2008
This series of performances at the London Oratory focuses on the historical context for Messiaen's organ works, by presenting selected works from his output alongside masterpieces of the great French organ tradition.
Admission free, no ticket required
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Philharmonia Orchestra
Tuesday 21 October 2008
Music from Messiaen, and his two pupils George Benjamin and Iannis Xenakis
£38 £29 £23 £18 £14 £11 £8 Premium seats £45
Royal Academy of MusicDJ
Royal Academy of Music students
Wednesday 22 October 2008
An eclectic selection of Messiaen's chamber music, including the recently published Fantaisie.
£6 unreserved
Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music students
Thursday 23 October 2008
Messiaen had the highest regard for George Benjamin, describing him as 'gifted like no-one else.
Admission free, no ticket required
Royal Festival Hall
Philharmonia Orchestra
Thursday 23 October 2008
A programme of Debussy, Messiaen and Scriabin
£38 £29 £23 £18 £14 £11 £8 Premium seats £45
Royal Academy of Music
Research Forum: Messiaen's late organ music
Friday 24 October 2008
A discussion on the late organ music of Messiaen, examining Livre du Saint Sacrement within the context of the orchestral work Eclairs sur l'Au-dela, with organist David Titterington and Christopher Dingle, author of The Life of Messiaen.
Admission free
Westminster Cathedral
Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra & Westminster Cathedral Choir
Friday 24 October 2008
The programme includes one of Messiaen's last works, an 11-movement cycle which was completed in 1992.
£18 £16 £12
Brompton Oratory
David Titterington
Monday 27 October 2008
David Titterington performs movements from Messiaen's last monumental work, interspersed with Gregorian chant from the feast of Corpus Christi.
Admission free, no ticket required
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Mitsuko Uchida and Friends
Thursday 6 November 2008
Mitsuko Uchida, renowned pianist, performs a mixed programme inlcuding Messiaen's intriguing Quatuor pour la fin du temps with Soovin Kim, Christian Poltera and Llyr Williams.
£22 £18 £14 £11 £8 Premium seats £30 Young Persons' Platform £5
St Pauls Cathedral
Huw Williams, organ
Sunday 7 December 2008
Written in 1935, Messiaen wrote these nine symphonic meditations, which represent the gestation of the Christ child in Mary's womb.
Admission free
Royal Festival Hall
Messiaen Centenary Concert
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Messiaen Festival Artistic Director Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Pierre Boulez and the Paris-based Ensemble intercontemporain pay tribute on Messiaen's 100th birthday.
£30 £23 £18 £13 £10
Royal Festival Hall
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Friday 6 March 2009
Conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier and pianist Simon Trpceski present a programme of Messiaen, Tchaikovsky and Berlioz.
£38 £32 £27 £21 £16 £12 £9 Premium Seats £55 Series Discounts apply
