Catalogue d'Oiseaux

Description

Have we already forgotten Olivier Messiaen, who passed away in 1992? If so, we would quickly dismiss a harvest of masterpieces that are not so old. It is more discreetly to his Catalogue d'oiseaux that pianist Ciro Longobardi has decided to dedicate himself by releasing this box set. We must be grateful to him because the result more than justifies the endeavor. Certainly, there are no shortage of reference versions (Loriod, Muraro), but this new production holds its own in comparisons. One must, of course, be willing to immerse oneself in these pages for solo piano to discover what the composer intends to suggest from the collection of the ornithologist he also was, a component as important to his art as his faith. The booklet will indeed help us with this (in English) by providing a setting, an atmosphere, and a synopsis for each title. The pieces then become as many sound poems, true vignettes, or even frescoes - as color remains a crucial element for the musician - depending on whether we approach them with literary, dramatic, or pictorial references. The desire to "translate nature into music" becomes a reality. (Alain Monnier)