Messiaen composed the work at the Lac de Pétichet in the summer of 1936, setting his own poems.[1] He specifically called for a grand soprano dramatique (great dramatic soprano), probably with the voice of Marcelle Bunlet [Wikidata][2][3] in mind, who was a notable singer of Brünnhilde at the time.[4] Messiaen dedicated the cycle to his first wife, Claire Delbos,[1] a violinist and composer.[5] It is one of three major song cycles, with Harawi and Chants de Terre et de Ciel, and the only one which he also orchestrated, the following year in Paris.[6]
The piano version was premiered on 28 April 1937 as a concert of La Spirale,[7] by Marcelle Bunlet and the composer at the piano.[6] It was published by Éditions Durand.[6] The first performance of the orchestral version took place at the salle Gaveau in Paris on 4 June 1937. The soprano Marcelle Bunlet was accompanied by the orchestra of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, conducted by Roger Désormière.[1]
Text structure and scoringedit
In his poems, Messiaen paraphrases verses from the New Testament in "surrealist poetry". The poems can be seen as depicting first a couple's spiritual struggle, then their journey together.[5] In this work, the rhythmic language uses very irregular durations, and certain processes dear to the author: added values, added points, non-retrogradable rhythms, plus some borrowings from Greek metrics and Hindu rhythmics. The "Mi" syllable of the title is a word of affection, imitating a diminutive, and the nickname of the dedicatee.[6]
Bennett, Emily M. (1 April 2016). Songs of Faith and Love: A Study of Olivier Messiaen's 'Poèmes pour Mi'(PDF) (Doctor of Musical Arts thesis). University of Kansas.
poèmes, pour, poems, song, cycle, dramatic, soprano, piano, orchestra, olivier, messiaen, composed, 1936, 1937, dedicated, first, wife, claire, delbos, text, poems, composer, based, testament, song, cycle, olivier, messiaenclaire, delbos, olivier, messiaen, 19. Poemes pour Mi Poems for Mi is a song cycle for dramatic soprano and piano or orchestra by Olivier Messiaen composed in 1936 and 1937 and dedicated to his first wife Claire Delbos The text are poems by the composer based on the New Testament Poemes pour MiSong cycle by Olivier MessiaenClaire Delbos and Olivier Messiaen in 1933TextPoems by the composerLanguageFrenchComposed1936 1936 1937DedicationClaire DelbosDuration32 minMovements9Scoringsopranopiano or orchestra Contents 1 History 2 Text structure and scoring 3 Recordings 4 References 5 External linksHistory editMessiaen composed the work at the Lac de Petichet in the summer of 1936 setting his own poems 1 He specifically called for a grand soprano dramatique great dramatic soprano probably with the voice of Marcelle Bunlet Wikidata 2 3 in mind who was a notable singer of Brunnhilde at the time 4 Messiaen dedicated the cycle to his first wife Claire Delbos 1 a violinist and composer 5 It is one of three major song cycles with Harawi and Chants de Terre et de Ciel and the only one which he also orchestrated the following year in Paris 6 The piano version was premiered on 28 April 1937 as a concert of La Spirale 7 by Marcelle Bunlet and the composer at the piano 6 It was published by Editions Durand 6 The first performance of the orchestral version took place at the salle Gaveau in Paris on 4 June 1937 The soprano Marcelle Bunlet was accompanied by the orchestra of the Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire conducted by Roger Desormiere 1 Text structure and scoring editIn his poems Messiaen paraphrases verses from the New Testament in surrealist poetry The poems can be seen as depicting first a couple s spiritual struggle then their journey together 5 In this work the rhythmic language uses very irregular durations and certain processes dear to the author added values added points non retrogradable rhythms plus some borrowings from Greek metrics and Hindu rhythmics The Mi syllable of the title is a word of affection imitating a diminutive and the nickname of the dedicatee 6 Action de graces Paysage La Maison Epouvante L epouse Ta voix Les deux guerriers Le collier Priere exauceeThe orchestration is scored for soprano solo four flutes three oboes doubling cor anglais two clarinets three bassoons four horns three trumpets three trombones tuba percussion three players and strings The duration is given as 32 minutes 1 Recordings editBoth versions of the song cycle have been recorded 4 Piano version Lise Arseguet 8 with Messiaen at the piano Piano version Jane Manning with pianist David Mason Unicorn Kanchana 4 Piano version Maria Oran 9 with pianist Yvonne Loriod Erato Records 1988 Francoise Pollet Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez Deutsche Grammophon 10 Renee Fleming Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Alan Gilbert DeccaReferences edit a b c d Olivier Messiaen Poemes pour Mi 1936 1937 work details in French and English IRCAM Marcelle Bunlet greatoperasingers blogspot com Marcelle Bunlet on BnF a b c Oliver Michael February 1987 Messiaen Poemes pour Mi Gramophone Retrieved 15 November 2018 a b Schmid Rebecca From our Repertoire Messiaen s Poemes pour Mi in French French National Library Retrieved 15 November 2018 a b c d Halbreich Harry 2008 L oeuvre d Olivier Messiaen in French Fayard p 204 ISBN 9782213644844 cf La jeune France Lise Arseguet on BnF Maria Oran on BnF Olivier Messiaen Poemes pour Mi Sept Haikai Le Reveil des oiseaux Cleveland Orchestra Boulez Deutsche Grammophon 1997 External links editPoemes pour Mi Olivier Messiaen sylviacazeneuve com Poemes pour Mi Oran Loriod on YouTube Bennett Emily M 1 April 2016 Songs of Faith and Love A Study of Olivier Messiaen s Poemes pour Mi PDF Doctor of Musical Arts thesis University of Kansas Portals nbsp Classical music nbsp France Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Poemes pour Mi amp oldid 1215684921, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
