Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

Last Night in L.A. - Messiaen Marathon

Paul Jacobs is still young enough to undertake physical challenges and make them musical events. (Remember? He�s the one who did the complete organ works of Bach in an 18-hour marathon.) In the past two years he�s visited cities to perform the complete organ music of Messiaen; a mere sprint that lasts only 9 hours. Yesterday he returned to Los Angeles to perform the Messiaen marathon in the new Cathedral on the new Dobson organ. The Cathedral�s web site describes the organ, under the music tab, as well as the architecture by Moneo and the art. The organ isn�t the spectacular instrument or work of art of that in Disney Hall, but the cathedral�s organ seems right for its role, and the sound fills the space quite well.

Jacobs�s survey of Messiaen�s organ music was presented in six parts; we were there for the first half. The climax of the first half was Jacob�s performance of the 1951 Livre d�Orgue (Organ Book) with its famous �Birdsongs� fourth work. This BBC site has a soundclip of this work; the dry sound on this recording is far from what we heard yesterday. In the reverberant space of the cathedral, with the power of this new organ, and (to a degree) with Jacobs� playing, the work changed from a simple imitation of birdsong to an evocation of the spirits of birds. At times, seated in the center of the space, we lost the sense of location of the source of the sound. Instead we were immersed in a meadow of sound, sound from all directions, sometimes lifting us, sometimes pressing, sometimes caressing like a breeze.

Several professional musicians were seated near us: among them were the organist who performed with the Phil last Spring, the concert pianist who studied with Messiaen�s wife, and a student were there with scores, smiling when Jacobs gave a felicitous reading of a particular challenge, one or two frowns or head-shakes when Jacobs did something they didn�t like or didn�t understand, and many sections when they stopped following the score and merely sat in the pew, listening to the glorious music.

Two nights earlier, REDCAT (CalArts at Disney Hall) had a fresh, creative evening of cello music: eight works, six of which were for multiple cellos, four of which were world premieres, all of which were written in our time, and only one of which was a work for cello and piano. The evening showcased the students and recent alumni of CalArts. Particularly noteworthy were Rachel Arnold, who played in six of the works and whom we first heard play the kithara in a concert of Harry Partch works, and Aniela Perry, who played the solo cello in the closing work, Pierre Boulez� �Messagesquisse� (1977) for solo cello and six cellos. The premieres were works by Arthur Jarvinen (Tango Incognito, for four cellos), William Roper (Not Yet Saved --- What Shall I Do? What Shall I Do?, for eight cellos), Mark Menzies (Excerpts from Candenczonada Fire, for eight cellos and a double bass), and Emily Corwin (The Femur Quartet, for cello quartet). The other works were by Arvo Part, Earle Brown (a work of �classical� high modernism), and Bruce Broughton, the composer for film and video. I wish REDCAT had a more active music program, because what they do is certainly worthwhile.

posted by Jerry Zinser 10/31/2005