Critic’s Notebook: From the Canyons to the Stars... Messiaen, Metzmacher & Klangforum at the Konzerthaus

Also reviewed for Die Presse: TBD

O. Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles T.Fischer, Hardink, Utah Symphony (hyperion, 2023) US | UK | DE

O. Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles M.W.Chung, Muraro, ORTF (DG, 2002) US | UK | DE

O. Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles Eschenbach, Barto, LPO (LPO, 2015) US | UK | DE

Ornithological and Astrological Wonders and Raptures

The Klangforum under Ingo Metzmacher brought the iridescent sonic universe of the American West to the Konzerthaus

There are works where really only ought to do one thing: close your eyes, put down your pen, the notebook away – and, ears first, jump into and fully lose yourself in the music. Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles... (From the Canyons to the Stars...) is such a piece. One can safely let interpretation be interpretation and simply wallow in the sounds – comparisons to other performances are out of the question anyway; so rarely is this piece on the concert schedule; that one would be lucky to hear it once, or even twice more, in your lifetime. One has no choice but gratitude. And gratitude was called for Friday evening at the Konzerthaus, where the Klangforum under Ingo Metzmacher presented this evening-length masterwork by Messiaen.

All this gushing shouldn’t obscure the fact that Messiaen in general, or Des canyons in particular, is not necessarily easy fare. But anyone who engages with the musical language of this ornithological composer, anyone who gives Messiaen the benefit of the doubt that the composer was only ever aiming for beauty, will find much for themselves in this symphonic poem about the Colorado Plateau, its landscapes, its birds, and the starry firmament above – in the composition’s silences and pauses, its outbursts and busyness.

Mind you, even the term "symphonic" requires qualification: Des canyons is more a concerto for piano, horn (both with demanding solo passages), xylorimba, glockenspiel, and wind choir – with the friendly support from a moderately sized string section as well as wind- and sand machines. On the surface, the music may at times sound "modern." At its heart, God's creation is celebrated in the most romantic way – and the Klangforum did just that, with primal force and with extraordinary tenderness.

P.S. Charles reviews a gorgeous film about Messiaen, with long excerpts from Des canyons and wonderful underlying pictures, here: DVD: Olivier Messiaen, Not for the Birds

P.P.S. Above/on the left are three highly recommendable recordings of Des canyons aux étoiles... - but there are more to choose from:

Reinbert de Leeuw, Marja Bon Asko Ensemble et al. (Montaigne)
Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paul Crossley, London Sinfonietta (CBS/Sony)
J.F. Heisser, J.F. Neuburger, O.d.Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Mirare)
Alan Gilbert, Inon Barnatan, New York Philharmonic (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival)
Ludovic Morlot, Steven Osborne, Seattle Symphony (SSO Media)
Marius Constant, Yvonne Loriod, ORTF (Erato/Warner/Apex)

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