Messiaen's Final Works

Christopher Dingle is Reader in Music at Birmingham Conservatoire, UK. He is the author of the acclaimed biography The Life of Messiaen (Cambridge University Press), co-editor of Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature (Ashgate) and is editing, with Robert Fallon, two further collections of essays, Messiaen Perspectives 1: Sources and Influences and Messiaen Perspectives 2: Techniques, Influence and Reception (both Ashgate). He is also editing The Cambridge History of Music Criticism (CUP, forthcoming) and is a member of the review panel for BBC Music Magazine.

Contents: Part I Final Works: The end; A few techniques from Messiaen’s musical language; Messiaen’s final work? Saint François d’Assise; Messiaen’s final (organ) work: Livre du Saint Sacrement. Part II The Miniatures: Introduction to the miniatures; A work for Yvonne Loriod: Petites Esquisses d’oiseaux; Two works for Boulez: Un Vitrail et des oiseaux pour piano solo et petit orchestre and La Ville d'En-Haut pour piano solo et petit orchestre; A work for Mozart: Un Sourire pour orchestre; A work for Alfred Schlee: Pièce pour piano et quatuor à cordes; The miniatures: an overview. Part III Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà...: Introduction to Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà...; I. Apparition du Christ glorieux; II. la constellation du Sagittaire; III. l'Oiseau-Lyre et la Ville-Fiancée; IV. les élus marqués du sceau; V. Demeurer dans l'Amour...; VI. les sept Anges aux sept trompettes; VII. et le Dieu essuiera toutes larmes de leurs yeux...; VIII. les étoiles et la Gloire; IX. plusieurs oiseaux des arbres de Vie; X. le chemin de l’Invisible; XI. le Christ, lumière du Paradis; Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà...: fundamental harmonic structure, developments of themes and overview. Part IV Final Thoughts?: Death and a new work: Concert à quatre pour flûte solo, hautbois solo, violoncelle solo, piano solo et orchestre; Messiaen’s latest style; Appendices; Select bibliography; Discography; Index.