Search - Olivier Messiaen, Carl-Axel Dominique, Lucia Negro :: Olivier Messiaen: Harawi; Poemes pour Mi

One of Messiaen's finest, yet least-known: an ecstatic ball

mianfei | 11/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the world of classical music (which I have only began to grasp), Messiaen is undoubtedly one of the most important and unique voices. His fusion of Catholic mysticism at its purest with styles from outside the Western world gave music arguably its first genuine shakedown during the twentieth century. Whereas so much classical music from previous periods was as pompous as the worst arena rock of my 1980s childhood, Messiaen, though his serial techniques, was paradoxically able to make music that sounded a great deal freer and more emotional than



Whilst Messiaen's intense organ works can be very difficult listening because their extremely deep passion is played in such a slow manner, these two pieces for soprano and piano are both rather more accessible and equally startling in their emotional impact.



"Harawi" is actually based on folk songs from the Andes in South America and dates from Messaien's earliest period in the 1930s. It is an eight-piece song cycle and the relatively sparse tone of the soprano matches the piano in a quite wonderful way throughout. The variation between quietness and ecstasy, whislst repeated all through "Harawi", never becomes boring because it is so heartfelt. "Poemes pour Mi" is four unrelated pieces from around 1945 and does sound rather similar, but in a wonderful kind of way.



These two early pieces may not be as well-known as Messiaen's organ or piano works, but for the beginner to him or to classical music generally they are a very wise purchase."

Lovely music

Renato Baserga | Ardmore, PA USA | 12/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's lovely music and is well done. However, the text of Harawi (even though it is a strange text) should have been included."