clarinet , producing the version commonly performed today .
Lifted and lilting , the Allegro offers an immediate cool serenity . Here , the clarinet ’ s lyrical and technical possibilities — its responsiveness and power of elaboration — are put on full display . While there is no cadenza , unexpected bursts of virtuosity abound . Beckoned by the solo clarinet , the Adagio is a movement of rare spaciousness and warmth . Its second theme , a deceptively simple descending fivenote scale , produces some of the Concerto ’ s most beautiful moments . “ Stadler ’ s Rondo ,” as Mozart called it in a letter to his wife , is fleet-footed with varied themes resulting in delightful and unexpected turns .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two bassoons , two horns , strings , and solo clarinet .
Olivier Messiaen
Born December 10 , 1908 in Avignon , France Died April 27 , 1992 in Clichy , France
LE TOMBEAU RESPLENDISSANT [ 1931 ]
“ What is this resplendent tomb ? It is the tomb of my youth , it is my heart ,” wrote Olivier Messiaen in the preface to his 1931 tone poem , Le Tombeau resplendissant ( The Resplendent Tomb ). At only 22 , the cause of Messiaen ’ s apparent loss of innocence remains unclear . The death of his mother four years prior presents one frequently cited possibility , although evidence to support this is largely circumstantial . Regardless , the work depicts a violent expulsion of youth , one overwhelmingly dominated by feelings of anger and loss .
Though written early in Messiaen ’ s career , Le Tombeau demonstrates an already impressive command of counterpoint and harmony . His training had been the best Europe had to offer . As an 11-year-old , Messiaen ’ s father had enrolled him at the esteemed Conservatoire de Paris where , for over a decade , he studied composition under eminent pedagogues such as Paul Dukas , later pursuing organ and improvisation with Marcel Dupré . Messiaen emerged from his studies as one of the most decorated students at the Conservatoire , an achievement reflected in Le Tombeau ’ s variegated colors , rich textures , and Stravinskian rhythmic vitality .
Le Tombeau follows a fast-slow-fast-slow schema , mirroring the four stanzas in the
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