Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus

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Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus is a piano cycle by the French composer Olivier Messiaen . The French title translates as “ twenty glances at the baby Jesus ”. The work cycle is regarded as one of the most important compositions of the 20th century for piano and at the same time as the climax of Messiaen's compositions for keyboard instruments and was composed between March 23 and September 8, 1944 in Paris . The pianist Yvonne Loriod played the premiere on March 26, 1945 in Paris.

Pieces included

I. Regard du Père ("The Father's Look")
II. Regard de l'étoile ("Look of the Star")
III. L'échange ("The Exchange")
IV. Regard de la Vierge ("Look of the Virgin")
V. Regard du Fils sur le Fils ("The Son's Look at the Son")
VI. Par Lui tout a été fait ("Through him everything was created")
VII. Regard de la Croix ("View of the Cross")
VIII. Regard des Hauteurs ("View of the Heights")
IX. Regard du Temps ("Gaze of Time")
X. Regard de l'Esprit de joie ("look of the spirit of joy")
XI. Première communion de la Vierge ("First Communion of the Virgin")
XII. La parole toute puissante ("The almighty word")
XIII. Noël ("Christmas")
XIV. Regard des Anges ("Look of the Angels")
XV. Le baiser de l'Enfant-Jésus ("The kiss of the baby Jesus")
XVI. Regard des Prophètes, des Bergers et des Mages ("Look of the prophets, the shepherds and the wise")
XVII. Regard du silence ("look of silence")
XVIII. Regard de l'Onction terrible ("look of the terrifying anointing")
XIX. Je dors, mais mon cœur veille ("I sleep, but my heart is awake")
XX. Regard de l'Église d'amour ("View of the Church of Love")

Included topics

Thème de Dieu
Thème de l'étoile et de la Croix
Thème d'accords

The different themes run through the individual pieces like a leitmotif and represent certain ideas.

  • Thème de Dieu ("God Theme")
  • Thème de l'étoile et de la Croix ("Theme of the star and the cross")
  • Thème de l'amour mystique ("Theme of mystical love")
  • Thème d'accords ("chord theme")
  • Thème de danse orientale et plain chantesque ("theme of eastern dance and choral singing")
  • Thème de joie ("theme of serenity")
  • 1er Thème ("First theme", a theme introduced by the composer in the last piece)

The work contains 20 pieces, all of which together require a performance of about two hours. The musical meditations on the birth of Jesus Christ conclude an almost 15-year creative period in which theological symbolism played a decisive role. Messiaen drew inspiration for Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus from texts by John of the Cross , Thomas Aquinas , Columba Marmion and Theresia von Lisieux as well as from the Gospels and the Roman Missal .

Each of the 20 pieces is either a look at the baby Jesus or a contemplation on the child. The central aspect of the cycle is the union of human and divine nature in the form of Jesus. The chosen order of the pieces results in clear contrasts in tempo and intensity, but was also chosen for symbolic reasons: in every fifth piece, but also in the sixth and eleventh, the "God theme" occurs. For example, the Trinity (1st "Father", 5th "Son", 10th "Holy Spirit") is made clear. The “God theme” is the central motif of the cycle. The “theme of mystical love” appears in pieces 6, 19 and 20. A number symbolism is revealed, for example, in the fact that the piece “View of the Cross” is in seventh place and “View of the Angels” in fourteenth place (Holy Number 7, the 14 as its doubling). The "chord theme" is the basis of all pieces. According to Messiaen, it is a “complex of sounds, intended for constant variation, abstractly pre-existing as a result, yet very concrete and easy to recognize by its colors.” Messiaen processes numerous rhythmic canons , polymodal passages and irreversible rhythms, enlarged in both directions, progressive accelerated or decelerated time values, asymmetrical enlargements, register changes, etc. In addition, the composer uses numerous birdsong in this work, some of which are literal.

Few pianists play the full cycle in the concert hall today; instead, individually composed sequences of individual pieces are preferred, in which Messiaen's richness of expression and piano style can be effectively demonstrated.

literature

  • Siglind Bruhn: Messiaen's musical language of faith. Theological symbolism in the piano cycles Visions de l'Amen and Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus . Edition Gorz, Waldkirch 2006, ISBN 3-938095-04-0
  • Theo Hirsbrunner: Olivier Messiaen - life and work . Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 1988, ISBN 3-89007-139-2