Olivier Messiaen composed “Visions de l’Amen” shortly after he was released from a prisoner of war camp in 1934. Pianists Sarah Rothenberg and Marilyn Nonken recently recorded the piece and will be performing it at LPR on August 2nd. The New York Times on the release:
Ms. Nonken and Ms. Rothenberg (who studied Messiaen’s music in Paris with Ms. Loriod) demonstrate a deep understanding of this shimmering, colorful score, which starts with the ecstatic clanging of bells in the opening “Amen of the Creation.”
The players forcefully convey the savage energy of “Amen of the Stars and the Ringed Planet,” the second of seven movements. The mood shifts drastically with the plaintive theme of “Amen of the Agony of Jesus.” The quiet tenderness that begins “Amen of Desire,” beautifully played here, morphs into passionate exuberance.
Click here to get tickets to the performance.