# Your thoughts on Messiaen?



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

his music, i mean.


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2011)

He is the anomaly in the list of composers I greatly admire and enjoy. I first heard his "Vingt Regards . . ." and instantly was drawn to his music, despite the fact that atonality is pretty much absent from my collection. His Quartet for the End of Time and his Turangalila Symphony are also incredible works. For fans of organ music, his works are also not to be missed - I am still working my way through Latry's recording of them on DG.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

I love 'im. means a lot to me. Quartet for the end of time gets me. and the birdsong pieces i've heard.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Hopefully this topic will move along a bit and the mods can merge it with the Messiaen thread. 

Anyway, I really like the quartet for the end of time, the Turangalîla symphony; the catalog of birds is interesting; but for now at least Et expecto is my favorite Messiaen work.


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

I am very fond of his music. The organ works, of course. arguably the finest composer for that instrument in the 20th Century. But is his other works the way he is able to blend his profound faith with the sound of his beloved birds and his love for Oriental Mysticism strikes a deep cord with me. I have not heard his Opera on Saint Francis but hope to soon. I have a number of recordings of his music and I guess I could say that I have not heard anything by him I did not like.


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## MessiaenIsGod (Mar 25, 2010)

I discovered Messiaen when I was studying music theory at the Oberlin Conservatory over 20 years ago. Hearing his music was like a revelation to me in the sense that for the first time, I heard music as I heard it in my head being written by someone else. I doubt that many others will have such an experience, but for me, it was like suddenly hearing someone write music the way I always wanted to hear it but never had.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Man, I would like to like him more! I like some works, but others have been too hard to crack for me, so far. I have a "thing" for crazy catholic artists in all the arts... Messiaen would fit in so well. Have to listen to him more.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Just like Bach or Mahler, he has that "You can always discover something new" quality in his music every time You re-listen to any his works, for me that is a sign of a great composer! And without actually being Synaesthetic, if I close my eyes when I listen to his music a rainbow of dancing emotions come to me, it is most joyous!

/ptr


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