Composer: Olivier Messiaen
Performer: Pi-Hsien Chen
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Gramola
Catalogue: GRAM98015
Release: 2021
Size: 426 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
20 Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, I/27
CD 01
01. No. 1, Regard du Père
02. No. 2, Regard de l’étoile
03. No. 3, L’échange
04. No. 4, Regard de la Vierge
05. No. 5, Regard du Fils sur le Fils
06. No. 6, Par Lui tout à été fait
07. No. 7, Regard de la Croix
08. No. 8, Regard des hauteurs
09. No. 9, Regard du temps
10. No. 10, Regard de l’esprit de joie
11. No. 11, Première communion de la Vierge
CD 02
01. No. 12, La parole toute puissante
02. No. 13, Noël
03. No. 14, Regard des anges
04. No. 15, Le baiser de l’enfant-Jésus
05. No. 16, Regard des prophètes, des bergers et des Mages
06. No. 17, Regard du silence
07. No. 18, Regard de l’onction terrible
08. No. 19, Je dors, mais mon cœur veille
09. No. 20, Regard de l’eglise d’amour
Olivier Messiaen’s two-hour, 20-movement piano solo cycle on the Observations of the Child Jesus was written in 1944 after the Quatuor pour la fin tu temps and the Visions de l’Amen for two pianos and has established itself as one of the most significant piano works of the 20th century. Great pianists such as Anton Batagov and Martin Helmchen have documented outstanding performances of this extremely versatile cycle of musical offerings on recordings.
Pi-hsien Chen recorded Messiaen’s magnum opus for piano live for the West German Radio (WDR) in Cologne in 2005, which impressively testifies to her exceptional status in the contemporary repertoire. Her Schönberg, Boulez, Barraqué, Stockhausen and Cage recordings are of almost intimidating sovereignty, flawless pianistic brilliance and sublime structural clarity, and thus at least as legendary as her playing of Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert. Born in Taiwan, the pianist has lived in Cologne since the age of nine and is praised by colleagues and the press for the sensual objectivity of her performances. After the three-album-release with Schubert’s “Grandes Sonates”, Aldila Records now presents her live cycle Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus, which is performed here with compelling authenticity and mastery. A living icon of modernity performs an immortal icon of modernity.