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Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time - Theme & Variations
Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time is one of the seminal works of the twentieth century. It was composed and first performed in unusual circumstances. Taken prisoner after the fall of France in 1940 he was sent to Stalag 8A in Silesia. Here he found three instrumentalists - a violinist, cellist and clarinettist - and it was for this unlikely combination (with himself at the piano) that the quartet was written: its first performance was heard by an audience of 5,000 of his fellow prisoners-of-war. Inspired by a passage from St John's Apocalypse (ending with the words ' . . . there shall be Time no longer: but on the day of the trumpet of the seventh angel, the mystery of God shall be finished'), the eight-movement work forms a characteristic display of what one writer has called 'blend of the earthly and the visionary'. The work is given here a performance of superlative quality by four distinguished players - Joaquin Valdepeñas (clarinet), Scott St John (violin), David Hetherington (cello) and Patricia Farr (piano). In the fiendishly difficult unison movement, Dance of Wrath, for the Seven Trumpets, their unanimity of time and pitch is nothing short of miraculous; elsewhere the long-breathed string lines with gentle chordal piano accompaniment achieve a wonderful measure of tranquil repose. The early Theme and Variations for violin and piano is a rare example of Messiaen's use of a conventional form, though the hallmarks of his mature style are already evident. The work receives a performance no less compelling than that of the Quartet. Highly recommended. Adrian Smith