‘And the angel . . . sware . . . that there should be Time no longer’: these words from the Book of Revelation inspired the conception of this famous quartet for piano, violin, cello and clarinet – the instruments played by the musicians who were Messiaen’s fellow captives in a prisoner-of-war camp in 1941. Created in exceptionally testing conditions, it sums up the composer’s experiments and innovations, notably rhythmic. Whether augmented, diminished, regular, irregular or non-retrogradable, these rhythms opened wide the gates to a new music, and earned the quartet its place among the supreme masterworks.
Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
pour violon, clarinette, violoncelle et piano
· I. Liturgie de cristal (2'55)
· II. Vocalise, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps (5'56)
· III. Abîme des oiseaux (8'15)
· IV. Intermède / Interlude (1'41)
· V. Louange à l'Eternité de Jésus (10'48)
· VI. Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes
(6'19)
· VII. Fouillis d'arcs-en-ciel, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps (8'34)
· VIII. Louange à l'immortalité de Jésus (6'57)
· Thème et variations pour violon et piano (10'29)
Stay up to date with one click
If you wish to get the latest updates on your favorite artists or track their next event, sign up below!