9 meditations for organ that together depict the birth of Jesus.
Olivier Messiaen composed the work in 1935 and it is characterized as his first masterpiece.
The theme of the work is the Christmas story and, according to Messiaen himself, it is based on the following ideas:
God's eternal plan or counsel, which is realized by the Word becoming flesh (Desseins Eternels),
God who lives among us (Dieu parmi nous) and,
in the form of Jesus, suffer with us (Jésus accepte la souffrance),
the triple birth:
The eternal birth of the Word from the Father (Le Verbe),
The Birth of Christ in Time (La vierge et l'enfant) and
the spiritual birth of the Christians (Les Enfants de Dieu),
description of some people who give a poetic coloring to Christmas and Epiphany:
The Angels (Les Anges),
the shepherds (Les bergers),
the three wise men (Les mages).
All nine meditations are also a tribute to the Virgin Mary.
Sofia Östling, organ
Free entrance