Abîme des oiseaux

Video

Pierre-Alain Baron (Violin), Florianne Remme (Cello), Alexander Declercq (Clarinet), Pierre Fleury (Piano)

L'abîme, c'est le Temps, avec ses tristesses, ses lassitudes. Les oiseaux, c'est le contraire du Temps ; c'est notre désir de lumière, d'étoiles, d'arcs-en-ciel et de jubilantes vocalises!

Abyss of the birds. The abyss is Time with its sadness, its weariness. The birds are the oppositie to Time; they are our desire for light, for stars, for rainbows, and for jubilant songs!

This is the third movement of the Quatuor pour la fin du temps, originally also known by its English title Quartet for the End of Time, an eight-movement piece by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. It was premiered in 1941. The work is scored for clarinet (in B-flat), violin, cello, and piano; a typical performance of the complete work lasts about 50 minutes. Messiaen wrote the piece while being a prisoner of war in German captivity (Görlitz, Stalag VIII-A)band it was first performed by his fellow prisoners. It is generally considered one of his most important works.

Pierre-Alain Baron (Violin) Florianne Remme (Cello) Alexander Declercq (Clarinet) Pierre Fleury (Piano)

Recorded in the concert hall of the Museum of Musical Instruments in Brussels - December 2022

Technical Direction - Romain Versaevel Sound & Video editing - Pierre-Alain Baron Mixing & Mastering - Luca Piovesan