No Silent Night: Olivier Messiaen’s "La Nativité du Seigneur" At Washington National Cathedral This Sunday

"Olivier Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur (The Birth of the Savior) is arguably one of the most important organ works of the twentieth century. Its devotional nature is remarkably direct, for Messiaen possessed a deep-rooted faith and a penetrating theological insight which both illuminated his creativity and gave a strongly spiritual dimension to all his work. Although not initially a part of the Parisian organ tradition, Messiaen grew up artistically within it and came to explore the organ’s sonorities and tonalities in a radically different way; only Jehan Alain, whose life was tragically cut short in 1940, displayed comparable vision and originality."

Photo credit: Moon Rock Window at Washington National Cathedral by Pgmark at en.wikipedia. 2009.