Description: Drawing on a range of sources and fields, the rich life story of this polymathic composer.
This groundbreaking biography offers fresh perspectives on the life, ideas, and music of French twentieth-century composer, organist, and ornithologist Olivier Messiaen. Drawing from previously unexplored sketches and archival material, the book seamlessly combines elements of biography, musicology, theology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, and aesthetics to present a nuanced perspective on Messiaen's work. Robert Sholl explores the profound impact of Messiaen's devout Catholicism, which found expression through his work as a church organist, his engagement with birdsong, his interaction with Surrealism, and his profound influence on major musical figures of the latter twentieth century. Unlike previous biographies, this book also considers the perspectives of Messiaen's contemporaries and students, providing a comprehensive understanding of his life and artistic legacy.Brief description: Robert Sholl teaches at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of West London. His books include Messiaen in Context. He has performed all of Messiaen's organ music, recorded improvisations to film on the organ and piano, and given recitals in London and Paris.
Review Quotes: "Sholl's new biography of Messiaen sheds fresh light on the extraordinary originality of his music. Among the wealth of fascinating detail much comes from the composer himself, as well as from his teachers, contemporaries, pupils, and from those who have studied, researched, and performed his music. Sholl's commentaries on the music are acutely perceptive--and as a bonus to this rich feast the photographs are marvelous."--Peter Hill, emeritus professor of music, University of Sheffield, and coauthor of "Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques"