Music of Olivier Messiaen
La Nativité du Seigneur: Nine Meditations for Organ

This is the FULL RESOLUTION version (raw, uncompressed) recorded at 96/24. It demonstrates the spectacular contrast of dynamics that this organ can produce, in the truly stunning acoustics of the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland.

Perhaps the greatest musical/mystical giant of the last century, Olivier MESSIAEN wrote La Nativité du Seigneur between the wars, in 1935 (aged 28), at a pivotal point in his career. That he, himself, thought of his work as innovative is confirmed by the lengthy preface to the first volume, in which his aims and theology are stated, his musical language is spelled out, his “modes of limited transposition” are carefully defined, and his rhythmic techniques (based on Hindu rhythms from India) are explained. The subtitle, Nine Meditations for Organ, reveals the essentially contemplative nature of Messiaen’s philosophy and helps us understand, 85 years later, the best method to approach this music: stillness.

The parallels between 1935 Paris and Berlin, and 2019 London and New York are uncanny. On the one hand, never before believed liberties, and on the other hand, impending doom, near destruction of entire civilizations, ecological disaster, and fearsome rise of autocracy and fascism.

What is the artist’s response to such a paradigm of contrast? To an artist that is the musical equivalent of a spiritual Avatar, as Messiaen was, the response is a unique form of beauty that can only be grasped by sitting still and finding one’s true center. For Messiaen, and for many artists throughout history, that center is in a trinity of ideas: participation in the Divine’s own creation of beauty, finding the integrity to express one’s uniqueness, and an inner spiritual life infused with regular glimpses of the magnificence of the cosmic order. In Messiaen’s case, he called this inspiration “the truths of the Catholic Church.”

From the beginning of his compositional career in the late 1920s, Messiaen intended his music to express his religious feelings and beliefs. A lifetime as “organist titulaire” of l’Église de Sainte-Trinité in Paris increased his love the of the sublime interface between music, color, and faith. It may surprise you to read “color” in the last sentence. Messiaen enjoyed a mild form of synesthesia, allowing him to see colors as he heard musical timbres. Having had the good fortune to play a recital on Messiaen’s organ in Paris, I suddenly understood a good part of this phenomenon. The concert I played was in February, when the sun doesn’t get very high in the sky in Paris. The organ, in the back balcony facing forward, is at the same level as the brilliantly multi-hued stained glass. The interior of the church is entirely white. So, as I sat at the organ performing a midday concert, my entire line of vision was surrounding by the colors created from the sun pouring through the stained glass. It was a revelation for me in understanding the Maître’s language.

His organ music is characterized by modal flavoring, the prominent triton (not dissimilar to Bach in that regard), cluster-like colors, quick-changing chords, organ registration extremes, prolonged repetition, ceaseless accompaniment, and rapturous climax. Messiaen has said, “When I hear music, I see colors;” and indeed his music seems to be pulsating with vibrant colors. And at a time when the music of Franck was considered the summit of modern organ music, Messiaen came into the ‘the scene’ with a bang!

I had the opportunity to meet Maître Messiaen just prior to his 70th birthday, on his first tour of the United States. It was my 21st birthday, and he conducted an organ masterclass at Oberlin where I was a student. To say that the experience was a game-changer is an understatement. I sensed in him a profundity of human experience and mystical development that I pulled me like a magnet. He spoke warmly and encouragingly to me, both as a musician and an interpreter of his repertoire, flattering me in ways that still surprise me today. So it is with utmost humility that I honor him each year with an offering of this exquisite music.