What must Christmas have been like in the Messiaen household? True, the French composer\u2019s organ cycle La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur<\/i> is populated with piping shepherds, excitable angels and the stately caravanserai of the Wise Men.<\/strong><\/p>

A guide to Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant J\u00e9sus<\/a><\/strong><\/li>
Five essential works by Messiaen<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>
La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur i<\/i>s also a work full of dense theology and includes a sombre reflection on Christ\u2019s suffering. La Nativit\u00e9<\/i> is no be-tinselled festive offering in the spirit of the 18th-century French organ No\u00ebls. It is subtitled \u2018Nine meditations\u2019 and, like JS Bach who knew a thing or two about embedding coded messages in his music, Messiaen<\/a><\/strong> has a complex cosmology up his sleeve as he unwraps a thoroughgoing interpretation of the mysteries of the Incarnation.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><p>In his <i>Technique of my Musical Language<\/i> published in 1944, Messiaen declared <i>La Nativit\u00e9<\/i> to be the first work to enshrine the essential characteristics of that language \u2013 in a sense, his Op. 1. But heads had already been turned by the orchestral <i>Les Offrandes oubli\u00e9es<\/i> and by <i>L\u2019Ascension<\/i>, a work for orchestra which he subsequently repurposed for the organ loft <\/p><p> He had recently been appointed \u2018titulaire\u2019 organist to Paris\u2019s \u00c9glise de la Sainte-Trinit\u00e9, a singular feather in the 22 year-old\u2019s cap, and he would continue to preside over its famous Cavaill\u00e9-Coll instrument until his death some six decades later. Re-worked, <i>L\u2019Ascension<\/i> stimulated a stream of major organ works, of which <i>La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur<\/i> was the next instalment. <\/p><p> <strong>We named<\/strong> <strong> <i>La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur <\/i>one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-christmas-organ-music-of-all-time\">best pieces of Christmas organ music ever<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p> <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-did-messiaen-compose-la-nativite-du-seigneur\">When did Messiaen compose <i>La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur?<\/i><\/h2><p><i>La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur<\/i> was composed in the summer of 1935 just outside Grenoble \u2013 whose mountains impressed him and left their mark (or so he confessed) on some of the movements steadily taking shape. The premiere took place at La Trinit\u00e9 on 27 February 1936, but instead of giving the first performance himself Messiaen delegated the nine movements to three friends \u2013 and furnished an elaborate programme note to aid any listeners baffled by its uncompromising modernity. For further clarity, the published score was provided with an abstruse foreword outlining the work\u2019s religious universe and Messiaen\u2019s compositional principals.<\/p><p>\u2018The birth of the Lord: this is the subject\u2019, he writes, and then proceeds to explain how it is to be treated. \u2018Emotion and sincerity\u2019 are to be the watchword, conveyed by means which are \u2018clear and true\u2019. Theologically, he observes that there are nine pieces to honour the motherhood of the Virgin Mary, and among them are considerations of the implications of \u2018the Word made flesh\u2019 as well as character pieces describing the angels, shepherds and the Wise Men, all of whom \u2018lend a particular poetry to the Christmas Feast\u2019.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\"><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-sixteens-best-christmas-recordings\">The Sixteen’s best Christmas recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/the-best-christmas-classical-music-albums\">The best Christmas classical music albums and recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/25-greatest-christmas-carols-all-time\">The 32 best Christmas carols of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-christmas-ballets\">The best Christmas ballets of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/17-lesser-known-pieces-of-christmas-music-that-deserve-more-recognition\">17 lesser-known pieces of Christmas music that deserve more recognition<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><p>Written with the sonorities of La Trinit\u00e9\u2019s orchestrally conceived organ in mind, he describes how the \u2018panels\u2019 of each piece are coloured in new and very particular ways \u2013 the pedals often freed from providing the bass line to \u2018sing in the soprano\u2019 for the depiction of the Magi\u2019s progress, or to sound a gentle carillon as Mary contemplates her new-born son in \u2018La Vierge et l\u2019enfant\u2019 (The Virgin and Child). <\/p><p>For resolute diehards there\u2019s also a set of gnarly, brow-furrowing explanations of the musical processes, including Messiaen\u2019s own customised scale systems \u2013 the \u2018modes of limited transposition\u2019 \u2013 which determine his harmonic thinking. And squirreled away is a note on the additive rhythms that further break down the notions of metrical time \u2013 a passion born out of his childhood love for Debussy\u2019s opera <i>Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande<\/i> and his student studies of ancient Greek and Indian rhythms. <\/p><p>As to the meditations themselves, each is prefaced by a Biblical text pinpointing Messiaen\u2019s inspiration. Enfolding a dancing transformation of the plainchant <i>Puer natus est<\/i> (A boy is born) \u2018La Vierge et l\u2019enfant\u2019 expresses maternal wonderment, a wonderment transmitted to the shepherds in the meditation that follows. Their pipes carol under a star-lit canopy whose colours Messiaen likens to stained glass: blue-violet, a touch of red, gold and silver. Next comes \u2018Desseins \u00e9ternels\u2019 (Eternal Designs), an elusive concept clad in elusive colours; and it\u2019s followed by \u2018Le Verbe\u2019 (The Word), which is underpinned by Hindu ragas, plainsong and Bach. \u2018Les enfants de Dieu\u2019 (The children of God) marks the centre of the work with a joyous fanfare dissolved in tenderness.<\/p><p>Next, the Angels cavort ecstatically ahead of an unexpected intrusion into the Christmas narrative: \u2018J\u00e9sus accepte la souffrance\u2019 (Jesus accepts his Suffering). Messiaen describes \u2018Les Mages\u2019 (The Magi) as a \u2018night piece illuminated by grace\u2019; and finally comes the most famous movement of all, \u2018Dieu parmi nous\u2019 (God among us), a great hymn of jubilation which culminates in that most \u2018French\u2019 of organ default modes, a glorious rip-roaring toccata. <\/p><p>Some have criticised Messiaen for not balancing the movements more adroitly, leaving wide expanses of unrelieved slow music; others have questioned <i>La Nativit\u00e9<\/i>\u2019s singular take on the Christmas story. But both reservations miss the point. \u2018Illuminating the truth of the Catholic faith,\u2019 Messiaen insisted, \u2018is the overriding aspect of my work, the noblest, and no doubt useful and valuable.\u2019 <i>La Nativit\u00e9<\/i> shouldn\u2019t be judged as a concert work: it is one believer\u2019s exploration of what gives meaning to his life, a testament to faith and a grateful prayer.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\"><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-christmas-operas\">The best Christmas operas of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/js-bachs-christmas-oratorio\">The best recordings of JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/six-best-pieces-christmas-choral-music\">Six of the best pieces of Christmas choral music<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/brief-history-christmas-music\">How did Christmas music start?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-la-nativite-du-seigneur-best-recordings\"><i>La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur <\/i>best recordings<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-olivier-latry-organ\"><strong>Olivier Latry <i>(organ)<\/i><\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><i>Deutsche Grammophon 471 4802<\/i><\/strong><\/p><p>To enter fully into Messiaen\u2019s world is to grapple with some potent paradoxes. <i>La Nativit\u00e9<\/i> is a score bristling with complex theological concepts, yet tempered by a simple all-yielding faith; a work in one sense timeless, yet encompassing some of the 20th century\u2019s most trenchant ideas about time and harmony; a cycle possessed of a soundworld steeped in the traditions of the French symphonic organ school, yet deliberately setting out to subvert it.<\/p><p> And although Messiaen\u2019s markings specify one arresting colour after another, he was relaxed about the instruments charged with bringing that soundworld to life. Some of the most persuasive performances are on neo-Baroque instruments far removed from the Romantic orchestrally orientated organ at La Trinit\u00e9, midwife to this very singular Christmas meditation.<\/p><p>A final conundrum for the performer hoping to crack <i>La Nativit\u00e9<\/i>\u2019s abundant challenges: how to balance Messiaen\u2019s prolific instructions with the freedom to pursue that voluptuous sensuality and quasi-improvisational spirit that he believed to be at the heart of the authentic religious experience?<\/p><p>In a catalogue not short of excellent options, two performances stand out above all others, and with their different emphases illuminate the paradoxical tensions that tug at an overall choice. Does the dazzling panache and communicative immediacy of Gillian Weir (see \u2018Three other great recordings\u2019, above) win out over Olivier\u2019s Latry\u2019s more spacious, more spiritually focused account? In some respects, undoubtedly. But Latry is steeped in the milieu of Messiaen\u2019s Catholicism. They share a mindset and liturgical background, a sense of reverence less uppermost in Weir\u2019s priorities. <\/p><p>For this 2000 recording, the Deutsche Grammophon sound engineers deployed a dozen-or-so microphones to capture the Notre Dame organ in all its Gallic glory and to tame the fall-out from the cathedral\u2019s generous reverberation. The result is a sonic triumph, allowing Latry\u2019s rapprochement between head and heart to register at every level. <\/p><p>His spaciousness is perhaps a response to the acoustic, but the quicksilver rhythms of \u2018Les anges\u2019 are despatched with well-drilled playfulness; \u2018Le Verbe\u2019 juxtaposes blazing pedal reeds with incisive passagework on the manuals; and, at a tempo that elucidates very nuance, \u2018Dieu parmi nous\u2019 crowns the entire cycle with monumental shock and awe \u2013 the reverberation at the close reaching out into eternity. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/music\/player\/albums\/B001N2HFQG\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"","excludeKeywords":"","price":"1","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gillian-weir-organ\"><i>G<\/i><i>illian Weir (organ)<\/i><\/h3><p><strong><i>Priory PRCD921<\/i><\/strong><\/p><p>Deciding between Olivier Latry and Gillian Weir is a well- nigh impossible task; and if, in the end, the sound of the Paris Cavaill\u00e9-Coll swings it in Latry\u2019s favour, the magnificent Frobenius organ of \u00c5rhus Cathedral reminds one that other flavours apply. Weir\u2019s 1994 recording has scrubbed up a treat. The sound is vividly immediate, Weir\u2019s technique is beyond reproach and her identification with the music is sovereign. The shepherds breathe \u2018air from other planets\u2019, the angels scintillate and \u2018Desseins \u00e9ternels\u2019 radiates calm submission. Indispensable. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/music\/player\/albums\/B0BKXJZLH6\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"","excludeKeywords":"","price":"1","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-olivier-messiaen-organ\"><i>Olivier Messiaen (organ)<\/i><\/h3><p><strong><i>Warner Classics 9029542817<\/i><\/strong><\/p><p>Some might suggest that Messiaen\u2019s own 1956 recording deserves to be consigned to the \u2018one to avoid\u2019 category \u2013 the mono sound shows its age and the tuning can be distinctly bracing. But here is the composer\u2019s vision, transmitted on the instrument for which it was conceived and in the acoustics that shaped it. And it\u2019s far more than just an invaluable historical document or reference point. Messiaen makes even the most static music live, his arabesques float and his epiphanies emerge unmediated. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/music\/player\/albums\/B07QYT4X2G\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"","excludeKeywords":"","price":"1","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jennifer-bate-organ\"><i>Jennifer Bate (organ)<\/i><\/h3><p><strong><i>Treasure Island Music UKCD600<\/i><\/strong><\/p><p>Messiaen himself described Bate\u2019s performance as \u2018truly perfect\u2019 \u2013 but then he was habitually generous with his compliments. Recorded 40 years ago at Beauvais Cathedral, it enjoys not only his imprimatur but an authentically \u2018French\u2019 sound too. The climax of \u2018Les enfants de Dieu\u2019 exudes sonorous majesty diffused in a coda borne heavenwards on billowing clouds of incense. Recorded balance sometimes struggles and the acoustic swallows some of the detail in the fastest passages but, excited and exciting, \u2018Dieu parmi nous\u2019 is a visceral <i>tour de force<\/i>. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Messiaen-Organ-Works-Jennifer-Bate\/dp\/B00N7CM0YW\/ref=sr_1_1\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"","excludeKeywords":"","price":"1","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><p><strong>And one to avoid\u2026<\/strong><\/p><p>Rudolf Innig is nothing if not scrupulous in his 1977 recording on the Breil organ of St Martin\u2019s Bad Lippspringe. Some of the phrasing is a little earthbound, though, and the Virgin\u2019s contemplation of her new-born son is more prosaic than hallowed. The major drawback, however, is the instrument itself, which isn\u2019t always characterful enough. The pedal reeds tend to \u2018parp\u2019, and the cornet stop palls during its prolonged outing in \u2018Le Verbe\u2019.<\/p><p>Main image \u00a9 Getty Images<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Paul Riley Published: Monday, 11 March 2024 at 13:44 PM What must Christmas have been like in the Messiaen household? True, the French composer\u2019s organ cycle La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur is populated with piping shepherds, excitable angels and the stately caravanserai of the Wise Men. 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True, the French composer\u2019s organ cycle La Nativit\u00e9 du Seigneur is populated with piping shepherds, excitable angels and the stately caravanserai of the Wise Men. A guide to Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant J\u00e9sus…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/40741"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}