OLIVIER MESSIAEN

“Music which lulls to sleep and which sings, which is of new blood, speaking gestures, an unknown fragrance, an unsleeping bird; music of stained-glass church windows, a whirl of complementary colours, a theological rainbow.” This personal definition which Olivier Messiaen gave in those words points to both the purely musical and the extra-musical characteristics that Messiaen demands of himself and attributes to his works. It also serves as a brief résumé of one of the most important works which Messiaen produced during his first great creative period, the Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps. Mixed and edited from the original 8-track tapes, this edition provides a breathtaking listening experience of the highest analogue sound quality.