Messiaen: Le Banquet Céleste

Description

The Celestial Banquet , by Olivier Messiaen is one of his earliest compositions. Written for organ, this piece lasts 7 minutes because of its slow tempo that gives it a timeless feeling. This piece is quite challenging and would require an advanced technical level. Written in Octatonic mode, The Celestial Banquet used a theme that was transposed twice for less monotony. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French organist and composer who was also passionate about ornithology. Inspired by Japanese music, he had a very special way of composing and his work can be identified by its complexity, its diatonic aspect, its harmony with limited transposition, its color and its additive rhythms. He composed many works related to ornithology and birdsong, including the 'Bird Catalogue' in 7 volumes and the 'Treatise on rhythm, color and ornithology' in 7 volumes.