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Olivier Messiaen

Catalogue d'oiseaux

Catalogue d'oiseaux ("Catalogue of birds") is a work for piano solo by Olivier Messiaen consisting of thirteen pieces, written between October 1956 and September 1958. It is devoted to birds and

Premiere#

The work was premiered by Yvonne Loriod on 15 April 1959 in Paris, Salle Gaveau, for the concerts of the “Domaine musical” organized by Pierre Boulez.

Aim of the work#

For these pieces, Messiaen did not want to be limited to the evocation of the bird of which each of it bears the title.

Title of the pieces#

  • 1 - The Alpine chough (Chocard des Alpes)
  • 2 - The Eurasian golden oriole (Loriot d’Europe)
  • 3 - The blue rock thrush (Merle bleu)
  • 4 - The western black-eared wheatear (Traquet stapazin)
  • 5 - The tawny owl (Chouette hulotte)
  • 6 - The woodlark (Alouette lulu)
  • 7 - The Eurasian reed warbler (Rousserolle effarvatte)
  • 8 - The greater short-toed lark (Alouette calandrelle)
  • 9 - The Cetti’s warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti)
  • 10 - The common rock thrush (Merle de roche)
  • 11 - The common buzzard (Buse variable)
  • 12 - The black wheatear (Traquet rieur)
  • 13 - The Eurasian curlew (Courlis cendré)

Recordings#

  • Yvonne Loriod: Erato Records 2292-45505-2/VI; ECD 71590 (1970–1973)
  • Peter Hill: Regis B000Q7RKW8 (1986)
  • Anatol Ugorski: Deutsche Grammophon 4743452 (1994)
  • Hakon Austbo: Naxos Records 8.553532.34 (1997), Also includes Petites esquisses d’oiseaux (composed in 1985).
  • Paul Kim: Centaur Records CRC 2567/68/69 (2001), Also includes La Fauvette des jardins and Petites esquisses d’oiseaux
  • Roger Muraro: Accord 4657682 (2002)
  • Pierre-Laurent Aimard: Pentatone PTC 5186670 (2018)
  • Carl-Axel Dominique BIS BIS-CD-594/596 Also includes “La Fauvette des jardins” and “Petites esquisses d’oiseaux”.

See also#

  • List of compositions by Olivier Messiaen
  • Catalogue d’oiseaux in Les Inrockuptibles
  • Three tracks on Gallica
  • Catalogue d’oiseaux on Naxos
  • Messiaen Catalogue d’oiseaux on Gramophone
  • Olivier Messiaen, Catalogue d’oiseaux (in 7 books), for piano, I/42 (1956-1958) (Håkon Austbø, piano) on YouTube
  • First Book
  • I. Le chocard des alpes (The Alpine chough)
  • II. Le loriot (The Eurasian golden oriole)
  • III. Le merle bleu (The Blue rock thrush)
  • Second Book
  • IV. Le traquet stapazin (The Black-eared wheatear)
  • Third Book
  • V.-VI. La chouette hulotte & L’alouette-lulu (The Tawny owl & The Woodlark)
  • Fourth Book
  • VII. Le rousserolle effarvatte part 1 (The Eurasian reed warbler)
  • VII. Le rousserolle effarvatte part 2
  • Fifth Book
  • VIII. L’alouette calandrelle (The Greater short-toed lark)
  • IX. La bouscarle (The Cetti’s warbler)
  • Sixth Book
  • X. Le merle de roche part 1 (The Common rock thrush)
  • X. Le merle de roche part 2
  • Seventh Book
  • XI. La buse variable (The Common buzzard)
  • XII. La traquet rieur (The Black wheatear)
  • XIII. Le courlis cendré (The Eurasian curlew)
Composer
Olivier Messiaen