Album insights
When Messiaen accepted Alice Tully's commission five years in advance to compose a piece for the United States' bicentennial in 1976, he turned to an encyclopedia for inspiration and found the canyons of southern Utah. Visiting the region in spring 1973, just like the Utah Symphony Orchestra did fifty years later to perform the piece beneath the stars of the canyons, he drew his inspiration from the birds, colors, and formations of the rocks.
During his time in the canyons, Messiaen not only transcribed bird calls but also noted down the hues of the rocks. These colors—shades of red, orange, and violet, sculpted by erosion—stirred his imagination to compose a full-length orchestral work with woodwinds, brass, percussion, a small group of string players, and a solo piano. Premiered at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on November 20, 1974, this work marked a return for Messiaen to the rich harmonic language of his earlier style.
Relying on E major and A major as his main tonalities, representing blue skies and the orange-red hues of the rocks respectively, Messiaen crafted a grand structure in three parts comprising various movements. The composition navigates through spiritual themes, bird songs, and celestial messages, all painted vividly through distinct musical episodes.
The narrative weaves through the desert, the orioles' songs, the messages written in the stars, the white-browed robin, Cedar Breaks, the interstellar call, the Bryce Canyon, the resurrected beings, the mimic thrush, several bird species native to Hawaii, and the Zion Park—all brought to life through a symphonic journey of soundscapes, bird calls, and musical exploration, culminating in a transcendental epiphany.