Clark Battle | Seattle, WA United States | 01/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is dense. Very very dense. I like to listen to it with the lights low at night on a very powerful stereo. To hell with the neighbors.
Beware the 10th movement "The resurection of Christ". Messaien loves to prolong the resolution of dissonance into consonance. He does so with EXTREME mastery on this movement. He builds the anticipation to such a high degree that by the end of this movement you will be dizzy and salivating, begging him to release you... and he wont... until... the magnificent, almost orgasmic final chord. I have personally passed out after listening to this piece due to hyper-ventillation! It is the most beautiful thing Ive ever heard since Barber's Adagio for Strings.
This is not for the uninitiated. Do not play it for your girlfriend, that is unless she likes dense and intense music. In which case watch out cause I may steal her from you. If you are a girl... how YOU doin'? (wink wink :)