Grande Messiaen

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Written to commemorate the bicentenary of the United States of America, this work is the result of Olivier Messiaen's trip to Utah. Impressed by the huge gorges that characterise the landscape of that region, he used them as a starting point for an elevation of the music, which starts from these geological formations towards the stars, with numerous birdsongs in between. Despite the monumentality of the piece, the orchestra that gives it its body is curiously reduced to 43 instruments, with a predominant percussion section that helps to create extraordinary sound images. A very demanding piece for any of the instrumentalists involved, among which is the prestigious pianist Paulo Álvares, an acclaimed specialist in the repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries. Directing will be Sylvain Cambreling, a conductor who has already been awarded the MIDEM Contemporary Music Award for his recordings of Messiaen's orchestral works.