Credits:

Ye / Varga / Serebrier

Description:

ALTUS' second greatest accomplishment after Bruckner! The NHK Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hiroshi Wakasugi, performed the Bruckner Cycle "Two Centuries of Catholicism" for nine performances over three seasons from 1996 to 1998. The "Catholicism in Two Centuries" was an ambitious program that combined a Bruckner symphony and a work by Messiaen in each performance. The Bruckner recordings of this time were released as a complete set by ALTUS in 2020 (ALT-431/440) and became a huge bestseller. All nine pieces are now available on three CDs in the order in which they were performed. The program includes Bruckner and a variety of compositions, some of which are over 30 minutes long, and some of which were performed for the first time in Japan. Listening to the program again, I was surprised and truly moved by how carefully each piece was performed. A live recording of such scale and perfection, with consistent interpretation, is of such enduring value that it deserves to be inscribed in the history of Messiaen's music.This is a very high-profile disc to be presented prior to the 30th anniversary of Messiaen's death in 2022! The booklet contains the commentary by Eiko Kasaha, which was included in the program at that time. It is written in considerable volume and detail, and is very valuable as a document that can be read in Japanese. Reading it while listening to Wakasugi's limpid performance, you will find yourself vividly unraveling Messiaen's complex compositional techniques. A bilingual translation of the lyrics of the "Three Little Liturgies of the Manifestation of God" with female chorus is also included. King International Inc.