Olivier messiaen biography

“Messiaen is a ripe subject for study. . .

Olivier messiaen most famous work

. Now Sholl, a professor of music at the University of West London who also teaches at the Royal Academy of Music has given us a slim, smart and sympathetic volume titled Olivier Messiaen: A Critical Biography. . . . [Messiaen’s] classes, like his personality, were unconventional and embraced not only the masterpieces of traditional Western music and the European avant-garde but also Greek meters, Hindu rhythms and birdsong.

Sholl is marvelous on the last of these.

Olivier Messiaen (Decem – Ap) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist.

. . . Once acclimated to Messiaen’s idiosyncratic sound world, readers will find Sholl’s book a sensitive and knowing companion.”

Tim Page | Wall Street Journal

"This is a thoroughly refreshing and original evaluation of Messiaen—both the man and his music—that should appeal to anyone wanting to know more about this endlessly fascinating composer, and also to specialists looking for new perspecti