STYLE: Classical RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9345- LABEL: Lammas LAMM145D FORMAT: CD Album
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
The title is a pun on the name of the featured composer, Olivier Messiaen, who is not usually associated with industrial Akron. The featured work is “Les Corps Glorieux”, seven brief visions of the life of the resurrected. Written in 1939 on the eve of war, this cycle paints a picture of the life of the risen body. Messiaen is giving us theology as music and moves above and beyond melody, rhythm, tonality and structure. Instead we share in his vision of the indescribable afterlife. This is not music in a recognisable sense but as an aid to contemplation you may find it helpful. Do not try to analyse it, just let it be and, as Hitel leads us through the complex stages of the sequence, we arrive ultimately at “The Mystery Of The Holy Trinity” where, of course, there are no more questions worth asking. The closing piece on this disc is Franck’s “Choral No 1 In E Major”. Franck was a musical influence on Messiaen and this mystical piece sits well with what has gone before.
The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.
Interested in reviewing music? Find out
more here.