Ingo Metzmacher: Immerses himself in "unique giant" Messiaen

Ingo Metzmacher is continuing his mission of paying tribute to the work and centenary of Olivier Messiaen with strident steps. Released on Kairos Records and realised in conjunction with the Wiener Philharmoniker, „Éclairs sur l'Au-Delá...“ is yet another crystalisation of Metzmacher's fascination with a composer he has called a „giant“ who „did things absolutely uniquely“. „Éclairs sur l'Au-Delá...“ is an eleven-movement work written over a four-year period and finished as recently as 1991 celebrating the 150th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. When it was premiered a year later, Messiaen was already no longer among the living. „Ingo Metzmacher, who made his debut in a subscription concert of the Vienna Philharmonic with this work, said in a statement at the end of the dress rehearsal that one can open oneself to this music only by setting aside one’s “earthly” sense of time and committing oneself to the cosmic dimensions and promise of this music“, Wolfgang Schaufler writes in the liner notes, „This may be understood as instructions to the listener.“