La Fauvette Passerinette: A Messiaen premiere with birds, landscapes and homages
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Label: Delphian
Cat No: DCD34141
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Instrumental
Release Date: 27th October 2014
Contents
Works
Etude no.1Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm
Preludes (3) for piano
Le traquet stapazin
Morceau de lecture a vue
Piece pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas
Preludes (8) for piano
Miroirs
Klavierstuck VII
Rain Tree Sketch II
Dreamlandscapes Book 2
Artists
Peter Hill (piano)Works
Etude no.1Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm
Preludes (3) for piano
Le traquet stapazin
Morceau de lecture a vue
Piece pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas
Preludes (8) for piano
Miroirs
Klavierstuck VII
Rain Tree Sketch II
Dreamlandscapes Book 2
Artists
Peter Hill (piano)About
In 2012, leading pianist and Messiaen scholar Peter Hill made a remarkable discovery among the composer’s papers: several pages of tightly written manuscript from 1961, constituting a near-complete and hitherto unknown work for piano. Hill was able to fill in some missing dynamics and articulations by consulting Messiaen’s birdsong notebooks, and gave the work’s first public performance in the autumn of 2013.
Here, then, he follows his acclaimed Bach recordings for Delphian with a return to the music in which he first made his reputation, setting this glittering addition to Messiaen’s piano output in the context both of the composer’s own earlier work and of music by the many younger composers on whom Messiaen was a profound influence – from Stockhausen and Takemitsu to George Benjamin who, like Hill himself, worked closely with the composer in the years before his death.
One of the leading British pianists of his generation, Peter Hill worked with Messiaen between 1986 and 1991 while recording the composer’s complete piano works. The series was described by the New York Times as "one of the most impressive solo recording projects of recent years", and won Messiaen’s endorsement: "Beautiful technique, a true poet: I am a passionate admirer of Peter Hill’s playing." His research on Messiaen continues and a book on 'Catalogue d’oiseaux' is in preparation.
Hill’s recordings for Delphian of Bach’s 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' – two volumes, each comprising 2 CDs – have received outstanding reviews: Book 2 (Delphian DCD34101) was CD of the Week on BBC Radio 3.
Contents also include Etude no.1 for piano by Anderson.
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Ravel - Oiseaux tristes from Miroirs
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2Messiaen - La Colombe (Prelude no.1 from 8 Preludes)
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3Messiaen - Piece pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas
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4Messiaen - Ile de feu I from Quatre Etudes de Rhythme
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5Stockhausen - Klavierstuck VII
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6Stockhausen - Klavierstuck VIII
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7Anderson - Etude no.1
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8Benjamin - Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm
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9Messiaen - Le traquet stapazin from Catalogue d'oiseaux
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10Dutilleux - d'Ombre et de Silence
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11Sculthorpe - Stars from Night Pieces
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12Young - River from Dreamlandscapes Book 2
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13Messiaen - La Fauvette Passerinette
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14Murail - Cloches d'adieu, et un sourire
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15Takemitsu - Rain Tree Sketch II
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16Messiaen - Morceau de lecture a vue
Europadisc Review
And it's a a substantial and absolutely gorgeous piece, full of a natural dynamism, and stunningly well-played. Hill brings all of his considerable understanding of Messiaen's art to bear on the performance, which has real depth and culminates in a toccata-like brilliance. The other Messiaen pieces are just as fine, from the early yet unmistakable 'La Colombe' from the Eight Preludes and 'Île de feu I' from the Quatre études de rythme to the remarkable 'Le Traquet stapazin' from the Catalogue d'oiseaux. Anyone who has heard Hill's recording of the complete piano works will know what to expect, and these performances are full of the authoritative acuity and lucidity that are Hill's hallmarks.
Alongside the Messiaen pieces, Hill gathers a sequence of works by composers with links to the composer, thoughtfully organised in groups and with an overall shape that makes for especially rewarding listening: Preludes (tracks 1–3), Études (4–8), Birds & Landscapes (9–13), Memorials (14–15) and a Postlude (track 16). The first piece is by Ravel, whose music Messiaen played as a child, the beautiful 'Oiseaux tristes' from Miroirs. Messiaen's own pupils are represented by Stockhausen (enormously strong performances of two of the Klavierstücke), George Benjamin (the expansive Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm), and Tristan Murail (Cloches d'adieu, et un sourire…, written in Messiaen's memory). Messiaen's younger contemporary Henri Dutilleux features in the 'Landscapes' section, as do the late Peter Sculthorpe ('Stars' from Night Pieces) and Douglas Young, both showing the influence of gamelan. Works by Julian Anderson and Tōru Takemitsu complete the line-up. All are performed with the same intelligent musicianship as the Messiaen pieces themselves.
The Postlude is the Morceau de lecture à vue (1934), a beautifully-crafted early miniature composed as a sight-reading exercise for Messiaen's students. It's a lovely end to what may well prove one of the most outstanding recitals of the year, which is sure to have an appeal far wider than just Messiaen addicts. The recordings, made at the Reid Concert Hall in Edinburgh, are as first-class as the performances themselves.
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