Andrea Doyle Music
Find Me on LinkedIn
  • Home
  • About Andrea
  • Current Musical Events!
  • Blog

A monumental work for solo piano that is not just for listening to in the Christmas season:  Messiaen's "Vingt Regards"

12/20/2022

 
I have been listening a lot in recent days - albeit in small sections as the work is about two hours in length - to a magisterial work for the piano by Messiaen.  This unquestionably important landmark of 20th-century piano music is called Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (Twenty Contemplations of the Infant Jesus).  Understandably because of its extreme difficulty and its sheer length, it has received few recordings since its first performance given by the composer's wife, Yvonne Loriod.  She made her own recording in 1956 under her husband's supervision.  Two more recent recordings standout, by Pierre-Laurent Aimard (a former pupil of Loriod) and Steven Osborne; both of these are more than 20 years old.  Osborne, by the way, is a fabulous performer of French piano music in general; watch this recent video (I can't stop watching!) of his recital of the Debussy Etudes in Wigmore Hall in London.  There is a recent recording, though, of great beauty by Bertrand Chamayou, and he also frames the work with short pieces by composers writing in tribute to Messiaen, a very interesting idea.  Here is an article from Interlude which describes the work a little. I also have enjoyed these pieces by Takemitsu, Kurt, and especially the first one by Anthony Cheung (I really want to learn this one!)  Listen wherever you stream music....apple, spotify, etc. I am curious as to what you will think about Vingt Regards.
    Picture

    Archives

    February 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    February 2017
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly