Tomorrow night, I have the pleasure of joining the Carnegie Hall Academy, Robert Spano and my CMS colleague Juho Pohjonen in a rare performance of Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles. This piece, commissioned by the one and only Alice Tully, was written to celebrate the bicentennial of the American Declaration of Independence. It was inspired by Messiaen’s time at Bryce Canyon in Utah and depicts, among other things, the incredible vastness of the sky, the many colors of the canyons and in true Messiaen fashion, the bird songs he heard.

The citizens of Utah were so overjoyed with the composition that they christened Mt. Messiaen on August 5th, 1978 – also known as Messiaen and the Beauty of Southern Utah Day!

Messiaen is one of the most spectacular composers of the 20th century. He sounds completely unique, and there is so much raw emotion and power in his music. This is one of my favorites, and the group sounds incredible. Please come join us tomorrow night at 6pm! Tickets and more information here.