Sound And Visions

Had the happy thought today that some music is so innately visual it doesn't require a video to make you see it. Of course, Messiaen is the prime example of a composer who is obviously seeing what his music is saying. And for much of his work we are in the extraordinarily privileged position of being able to read his account of what, if we're lucky, we might just be able to construct in the mind's eye.

Was listening to La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ earlier and came across this, from Messiaen's notes on the fifth section of the First Septenary: The phrase is soft and tender in the male voices, louder and more emphatic when sung by the whole choir. Modal colours evolve: gold and violet, red and bluish-purple, blue-grey studded with gold and deep blue, green and orange, blue and gold, yellow and violet streaked with white. The solo cello sings of the simple clarity of everlasting light. The solo piano introduces the blue American robin, and the rock thrush (a mountain bird with bright orange and slate-blue livery) is heard amongst the ensemble of soloists. The movement concludes with the choir humming red and gold harmonies, a lush carpet of sound, a distant pianissimo, over which, in the night, there ascends on the piano the first strophe of the nightingale's song.

Blimey. Difficult to believe that any music could live up to that. But, of course, the Maestro's does.