Pierre Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich | © Marco Borggreve
© Marco Borggreve
Artists
Program
Maurice Ravel
Entre cloches (from Sites auriculaires)
George Enescu
Carillon nocturne (from the Suite for Piano No. 3 Op. 18)
Oliver Knussen
Prayer Bell Sketch for Two Pianos
Harrison Birtwistle
Keyboard Engine for Two Pianos
Olivier Messiaen
Visions de l'Amen for Two Pianos

“Of course, suffering exists for me, too,” Olivier Messiaen once declared, “but I’ve written very few poignant pieces. I love Light, Joy, and Glory in the divine sense.” Even during World War II, having just been released from the prisoner-of-war camp where he had written his Quatuor pour la fin du temps, his music remained an unwavering affirmation of faith. The Visions de l’Amen, composed in 1943, herald the end of earthly time and the dawn of the heavenly kingdom in sound colors of overwhelming richness. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who began his piano studies with Messiaen’s wife Yvonne Loriod at the age of 12, and his longtime piano partner Tamara Stefanovich present the monumental cycle together with several other 20th- and 21st-century works that take inspiration from the image and symbolism of bells.

Approximate running time: 1h 45m with one intermission
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PROMOTER
Pierre Boulez Saal
Französische Straße 33 D
10117 Berlin
Season 2022–2023,
PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD & TAMARA STEFANOVICH
MESSIAEN, BIRTWISTLE, RAVEL
Past Event
Pierre Boulez Saal
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