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The anniversary exhibition “Music on the Wings of Birds”, devoted to the 110th anniversary of the French composer Olivier Messiaen, is held in the Musical and Audio documents reading room (room 305) from 5 to 28 December.
The work of one of the brightest composers of the twentieth century, Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992), is original and multifaceted. The origins of his music are the Gregorian chant, Russian songs, music by French composers, Greek metric, Indian rhythms. One of the main sources of his inspiration was the Christian faith: under the impression of the Holy Scriptures, he created most of his writings. The Messiaen’s music is linked to impressionism: with its help, the maestro sought to convey the beauty and harmony of the world, capture and impress beautiful moments. Olivier Messiaen spent a lot of time studying birds singing. For him, the birds are "messengers of God, symbols of heaven and heavenly harmony". The composer has repeatedly used imitation of bird voices in his works. In his theoretical works O. Messiaen formulated new compositional principles, outlined the theory of modal modes of limited transposition and a refined system of rhythms.
The exhibition introduces visitors to musical editions of works by Olivier Messiaen, including the piano pieces "8 Préludes pour piano", "Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus ", the piano piece "The Awakening of Birds", "Quatre Études de rythme", and numerous collections in which you can find works by the composer.
The audio documents presented in the exhibition make it possible to listen to "Quartuor pour la fin du temps", Turangalila-Symphonie", the orchestral and choral composition "Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine", the organ suite "La Nativité du Seigneur" and other works by Messiaen.
Books, abstracts and articles from periodicals complement the exhibition with information about the works of the famous composer.
The opening hours of the exhibition corresponds to the library’s opening hours.
Entrance to the exhibition is available by the library ticket or ticket of the library's social and cultural center.
The article is created by the Special Collections Department.
