Concerto Budapest & UMZE Chamber Ensemble A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

The name Olivier Messiaen is connected with perhaps the most remarkable oeuvre in 20th century music, huge both in the literal and in the metaphorical sense. Rationality and passion, profundity and banality are apparent in the musical concepts of Messiaen, and his works are, at the same time, refined and robust, mystical and sensuous. His approach can perhaps best be interpreted in the context of the medieval, religious master-composer than in any Romantic artist-ideal. In his mind, life after death was just as real as the various sound series he created, the riddle of prime numbers or the songs of birds that, as an avid ornithologist, he collected and systematized. The 12-movement, 90-minute-long Des canyons aux étoiles was commissioned by philanthropist Alice Tully in 1971 to mark the bicentenary of the declaration of American independence. The composition’s rich tonality, theological references and birdsong has never been performed in Hungary, thus Concerto Budapest and UMZE Chamber Ensemble, under the baton of Zoltán Rácz, are making up for a long-felt absence.