Sound
Olivier Messiaen
Born — Died
1908-12-10 — 1992-04-27
Place of birth
Avignon, France
Known for
Sound
Credits
8 titles
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically and melodically he employs a system he called modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from the systems of material generated by his early compositions and improvisations. He wrote music for chamber ensembles and orchestra, vocal music, as well as for solo organ and piano, and also experimented with the use of novel electronic instruments developed in Europe during his lifetime. Messiaen entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 11 and studied with P…
Known for
8.0No synopsis available yet.
Discorama
1959
3.3No synopsis available yet.
Victoires de la musique
1985
NREdgard Varèse died on 6 November 1965, a few days before the filming of the rehearsal of his work "Déserts" which he had to attend.
The Great Rehearsals: Homage to Edgard Varèse
1966
NR"A renowned composer and organist, Olivier Messiaen was also a great teacher. Michel Fano, who took his composition class at the Paris Conservatory, films some of the privileged moments of his teaching. This film, co-directed with Denise Tual, also shows Messiaen as a devotee, an ornithologist, and a synaesthete, evoking the fundamental concepts of his inspiration with an often sparkling ease (the musician imitating certain bird songs in a manner reminiscent of Rouch recreating the cries of wizards for certain films). In this way, the film boldly collides sequences with visual or sound correspondences, the directors succeeding in dragging us into the world of mystery and dreams dear to the musician." (François Waledisch)
Olivier Messiaen and the Birds
1973
NRYvonne Loriod was not only an incredible performer of the music of her time, but also Olivier Messiaen's muse, the one in whom and for whom he found the natural and concrete extension of his art, of his inspiration. This documentary is a beautiful testament to what this great artist represented.
A Private Music Lesson with Yvonne Loriod
1991
NRMessiaen's breathtakingly intense opera on the life of St Francis of Assisi stars Rod Gilfry as the charismatic visionary, beguiled by the glory of creation, yet fearful of both its imperfections and its transience. Pierre Audi's thoroughly engaging production for The Netherlands Opera brings out the naive imagery, the grandeur, and above all the vast tenderness of the resplendent score, revealed as a grandiose ritual with the meaning and purpose of life as its central theme. But the real drama of the work takes place in the orchestra. Elevated to stupendous heights by the sublimely inspired Ingo Metzmacher, The Hague Philharmonic and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera combine forces with a brilliant cast to produce the finest possible musical pilgrimage.
Saint François d'Assise
2009
Film credits
1990s · 2 titles
NRYvonne Loriod was not only an incredible performer of the music of her time, but also Olivier Messiaen's muse, the one in whom and for whom he found the natural and concrete extension of his art, of his inspiration. This documentary is a beautiful testament to what this great artist represented.
A Private Music Lesson with Yvonne Loriod
1991
NRA portrait of French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992), through archival films from 1964 to 1987.
Olivier Messiaen: The Crystal Liturgy
1997
1960s · 2 titles
NREdgard Varèse died on 6 November 1965, a few days before the filming of the rehearsal of his work "Déserts" which he had to attend.
The Great Rehearsals: Homage to Edgard Varèse
1966
NR"Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum", the work by Olivier Messiaen, was a commission by the Minister of Cultural Affairs André Malraux and was to be performed on the 20 June 1965 at Chartres Cathedral, in the presence of President Charles de Gaulle. This documentary takes place during the rehearsal on the prior day.
The Great Rehearsals: Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum
1965