The third volume Ciro Longobardi’s Messiaen, after the universal critical success of Volumes 1 & 2, focusing on the composer’s best-loved piano cycle.
With his Piano Classics collection of the Préludes, Quatre Études de rythme, La fauvette des jardins and other shorter works, Ciro Longobardi announced himself as a Messiaen pianist of remarkable imagination and accomplishment. The critics duly took note: ‘Longobardi showcases tremendous technical skill and an exceptional attentiveness… this album is a lush, intricate success—meaningful for Messiaen enthusiasts and enjoyable for those new to his work. I highly recommend it.’ (Fanfare)
The Catalogue d’oiseaux continued to attract superlatives: ‘Hs performance makes you listen, through its diverse use of dynamics and the expert use of silences. His playing is concise and bright and is best listened to with the accompanying booklet, in which his notes on the music expertly set the scene.’ (MusicWeb International)
Now the Italian pianist turns to the Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus in which Messiaen most successfully synthesised a Lisztian tradition of virtuosity and tone-painting on the piano with his own spiritual and musical preoccupations: Catholic devotion, birdsong and Indian rhythmic syntax among them. Messiaen had lately completed what became a ‘Tristan’ trilogy of works including the Turangalila Symphony when, in 1948, he was commissioned by French radio to write pieces to accompany a broadcast of Christmas-themed poetry.
The commission quickly outgrew its original purpose, and Messiaen instead created a thematically unified cycle of pieces taking in contemplations of monumental reverence, jazz-inflected improvisations, fabulously intricate toccatas and more. At the heart of Vingt Regards lies the ineffable tenderness of the kiss bestowed on the sleeping infant by his mother in the most famous piece of the cycle, Le baiser de l’enfant Jesus.
As a generous pairing, Ciro Longobardi also includes the 1985 cycle of piano miniatures, Petites Esquisses d’Oiseaux, which distil his lifelong love of birdsong into six exquisite portraits. These, like the Vingt Regards, are dedicated to his wife, the pianist Yvonne Loriod, who inspired his piano writing throughout his mature career, bringing a cyclical unity of its own to the album.
"Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus," composed by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) in 1944, is a monumental work for solo piano that stands as one of the most significant pieces in the 20th-century piano repertoire. The title translates to "Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus," and the work is a deep spiritual meditation on the mysteries of the Christian faith, particularly the incarnation of Jesus.
Messiaen, a devout Catholic, imbues each of the twenty movements with profound theological symbolism, exploring themes such as the Virgin Mary, the Star of Bethlehem, and the adoration of the Magi. His use of complex rhythms, unique harmonic language, and bird song transcriptions—elements characteristic of his style—create a deeply immersive and mystical soundscape.
The piece, a cornerstone of the piano repertoire, challenges the performer with its technical demands and emotional depth. Messiaen’s music here is both reflective and ecstatic, intended to evoke a sense of the divine and the eternal.
This is the third and last instalment of Messiaen’s complete piano music by Italian pianist Ciro Longobardi, a specialist in contemporary repertoire. His previous recording of Catalogue d’Oiseaux (PCL10155) received excellent reviews, a.o. a 5-star review in French Diapason.
