Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
La Nativité du Seigneur (1935) [65:47]
Francesco Botti (organ)
Don Giuseppe Fusari (vocalist)
rec. May 2021, Saints Thomas and Andrew Abbey, Pontiveco, Brescia, Italy.
DA VINCI CLASSICS C00474 [75:38]
Giorgio Benati’s booklet notes for this recording remind us of the premiére of La Nativité du Seigneur way back in 1936, and the way that it had “the effect of thunder in the placid world of the organ at that time.” This remains one of Messiaens’s most performed organ pieces, being relatively accessible to modern ears while still sounding fresh and ‘contemporary’ in this composer’s now almost timeless fashion.
You will notice a discrepancy in timings given in the header to this review, but not very much is made of the inclusion of six tracks of solo Gregorian melody interspersed throughout the nine movements of La Nativité du Seigneur. Messiaen himself was of course fully immersed in the world of Gregorian modality and his improvisations on such tunes are a matter of record and of recordings. There are explicit references to Gregorian melody in this work, such as the Puer natus est with which this CD opens, but by no means all such quotes are so explicit. Each Gregorian piece is set against a movement in La Nativité in which there is a suggestion that it may have been at the back of Messiaen’s mind when composing. There is a mildly disconcerting effect to these insertions, but the Catholic religious atmosphere of the whole means that there is a kind of continuum at work. Don Giuseppe Fusari’s voice is recorded at a distance that means the acoustic of the abbey works in a similar way to the way the organ has been recorded, and this all adds up to quite an immersive experience.
This is enhanced by Francesco Botti’s fairly expansive reading of La Nativité du Seigneur. Timings are sometimes noticeably longer than other recordings, though in casting a wide net this aspect is not always particularly exceptional. Tom Winpenny on Naxos (review) isn’t especially swift in his Messiaen, but Botti’s Le Verbe clocks in at 13:59 to Winpenny’s 11:22, and while other movements are closer in timing this gives some idea as to the extended atmosphere we find from Brescia. I also hauled out Jenifer Bate on Regis and Olivier Latry on Deutsche Grammophon (review and review), and both of these have their own very fine qualities. I tend to prefer Bate’s expressiveness over Latry’s cooler reserve, but always appreciate having both as references. As a point of interest, when it comes to the penultimate movement Les Mages, Bate comes in at 5:12, Latry at 6:35, and Botti at 8:38.
This is a good performance of La Nativité du Seigneur but it doesn’t really stand out in a competitive field. The recording is decent and there is a good amount of bass oomph in Les Enfants de Dieu, but the perspective is a touch too distant for much in the way of rhythmic detail, and places elsewhere that you feel could drive forward to generate energy and excitement tend to wear lead shoes. The complicated passages in Les Anges become a bit of a note spaghetti, and it’s hard to find a way into the sound to feel that you are truly involved, let alone moved and inspired. The added Gregorian vocal pieces are by no means a real selling point and, while an interesting experiment, I don’t feel they add much to the whole beyond, as previously mentioned, enhancing the feel of Catholic incense enveloping this experience. If I was pointing anyone towards an exploration of Messiaen’s organ works in general I would recommend Jennifer Bate’s Unicorn-Kanchana 6CD set re-released on Regis (and apparently also Treasure Island Music), for its sheer cheapness and musical integrity. The stereo effect in her Nativité isn’t as wide as it might be and the tuning on that Beauvais Cathedral organ was clearly overdue, but this is a performance that will get you right between the ears.
Dominy Clements
