Tom Winpenny - Olivier Messiaen: M�ditations sur le myst�re de la Sainte Trinit�

Olivier Messiaen�s M�ditations sur le Myst�re de la Sainte Trinit� grew out of improvisations that he performed at the inauguration of the rebuilt organ of La Trinit� in 1967. It became his largest cycle to date and marks Messiaen�s first use of �communicable language�, in which each letter of the alphabet is assigned a unique pitch and note-value, thereby translating text into music. Haunting harmonies, awe-inspiring monumental grandeur and the deepest profundity of expression are contrasted by the innocence of birdsong with the recurrent call of the yellowhammer, a tranquil voice from nature amid kaleidoscopic Biblical themes.