Olivier Messiaen

Petites Esquisses D Oiseaux

Being a fascinatingly unique composer, Olivier Messiaen pushed the conventions of composing to its very limits. The composer's music remains ever-popular and his Small Sketches of Birds depict Messiaen's passion for ornithology.

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire at the mere age of 11, where he won many prizes. As a passionate ornithologist, as well as organist and composer, many of Messiaen's works depict bird song. His music is rhythmically complex and harmonically and melodically distinct, often using modes of limited transposition. Small Sketches of Birds, composed in 1985, comprises six movements - 1) The Robin, 2) The Blackbirds, 3) The Robin, 4) The Song Thrush, 5) The Robin, and 6) The Field Lark. The composer's enthusiasm for ornithology and composing combined makes for a sensational, unique addition to the Piano repertoire.