Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Alan Gilbert - Messiaen: Des Canyons Aux Etoiles… (2016) [Hi-Res]

In 1971, philanthropist Alice Tully approached Olivier Messiaen with a commission for an orchestral work to celebrate the bicentennial of the signing of the United States' Declaration of Independence, and somewhat ahead of schedule, he composed Des canyons aux étoiles, which received its premiere performance in November 1974. Alan Gilbert and musicians of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival recorded this performance in August 2015, and this double-CD from Entertainment One adds to the growing number of exciting recordings that successfully present Messiaen's mystical depiction of Bryce Canyon, Utah, the inspiration for the work. Cast in 12 movements and scored for 44 musicians, Des canyons aux étoiles is a journey from the depths of the earth to the stars and beyond, to Messiaen's beatific vision of the Celestial City, a recurring image in his work. Featuring a quartet of Inon Barnatan on piano, Daniel Druckman on xylorimba, Jeffrey Milarsky on glockenspiel, and Philip Myers on horn, the performance is a spectacular presentation of Messiaen's vivid and exceptionally challenging score, and the festival ensemble plays with extraordinary brilliance and expressive depth.