"The Ascension", the first masterpiece written by Olivier Messiaen, remarkably interpreted

Olivier Messiaen was born in Avignon in 1908. Son of Pierre Messiaen and the poetess Cécile Sauvage, he was deeply influenced by the poems of her mother. At the time of the First World War, he acquired a Catholic faith that never left him. He joined at the age of 11, at the Paris Conservatory to study piano and percussion, and organ and composition. He notably as Professors Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937), Maurice Emmanuel (1862-1938), who introduced him to the ancient Greek rhythms and exotic modes, Paul Dukas (1865-1935) and Marcel Dupré (1886-1971 ). He became organist at Trinity Church in Paris at the age of 22 years, from 1936 to 1939, he taught at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and at the Schola Cantorum. With André Jolivet (1905-1974), Yves Harness (1906-1988) and Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002), he created "Young France" composers group to promote music news. Taken prisoner in 1940, he composed during his imprisonment his "Quartet for the End of Time", the first of which is given in the camp 15 January 1941 by a group of prisoners musicians, the piano part being played by the composer. Released in March 1941, he returned to teach in Paris, where he became a professor at the Conservatory. Among his students Yannis Xenakis (1922-2001) Marius Constant (1925-2004), Pierre Boulez (born 1925), Antoine Duhamel (born 1925), Betsy Jolas (born 1926), Jacques Castérède (born 1926), Francois-Bernard Mache (born 1935), Gilbert Amy (born 1936), Paul Mefano (born 1937), Alain Louvier (born 1945), Gérard Grisey (1946-1998), Tristan Murail (born 1947), Nagano (born 1951), Philippe Fenelon (born 1952), Alain Mabit (born 1953) and George Benjamin (born in 1960). He died in 1992 in Clichy-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine).

"The Ascension" for orchestra (1933), the "Quartet for the End of Time" for violin, clarinet, cello and piano (1940), the "Visions de l'Amen" for two pianos (1943), the "Three Small Liturgies of the Divine Presence "for female voices choir, piano, ondes Martenot and orchestra (1944), the" Vingt regards sur l'Enfant Jesus "for piano (1944), the" Turangalîla-Symphonie "for piano, ondes Martenot and orchestra (1948), the "Pentecost Mass" (1950), the "Organ Book" (1951), the "Exotic Birds" for piano and small orchestra (1955), the "Catalogue d'oiseaux" for piano (1956), "Seven Haïkaï" for piano and small orchestra (1962), "Colors of the Celestial City" for piano, wind ensemble and percussion (1963), "And exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum" for orchestra (1964) "Des canyons aux étoiles ..." for piano and orchestra (1972), the opera "Saint François d'Assise" (1975), "The Book of the Blessed Sacrament" for organ (1984), and "Lightning on 'Beyond ... "for orchestra (1991) are some of his major works, which Messiaen one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century.