Messiaen: Les Offrandes oubliées (1930) (The forgotten offerings)

This page lists all recordings of Les Offrandes oubliées (1930) (The forgotten offerings), by Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (1908-92) on CD. Generally, more recent CDs are listed first, but with priority given to items that are in stock.

Recommendations

BBC Music Magazine

Special Review
October 2005

All recordings

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Messiaen - Chamber Works

Messiaen:

Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano

Les Offrandes oubliées (1930)

(piano transcription)

Quatuor pour la fin du temps

Robert Plane (clarinet)

Gould Piano Trio

Described by The Independent as ‘master musicians’ The Gould Piano Trio, one of the most exciting ensembles to emerge in recent years, is joined by clarinettist Robert Plane for this recording to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of France’s greatest composers – Olivier Messiaen. Messiaen’s wartime masterpiece the outstanding Quartet for the End of Time was composed during the darkest days when he was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. The particular instrumentation – piano, violin, cello and clarinet was determined by these circumstances. The result is an uplifting and spiritual work and Messiaen’s most significant contribution to chamber music. Its premiere is one of the legendary premieres of the twentieth century for it took place in the camp theatre before 5000 fellow-prisoners. ‘Never have I been listened to with such attention and such understanding’, Messiaen later recalled. The works also received a review in the camp newsletter, which recorded that: ‘The last note was followed by a moment of silence which established the sovereign mastery of the work.’ Quartet for the End of Time is coupled with the shorter work, Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano and the premiere recording of Piano Transcription of Les Offrandes oubliées. Theme and Variations was composed as a wedding gift from Messiaen to his wife whom he married in 1932. Like her husband, Claire was a devout Catholic and a composer as well as an accomplished violinist. The violin writing testifies to Claire’s passionate musicality and her technical skill, and as so often with Messiaen’s shorter works, has a power and presence that seems to belie its modest proportions. Les Offrandes oubliées, subtitled ‘méditation symphonique’ was composed in the summer of 1930, shortly after Messiaen completed his studies at the Paris Conservatoire. The work forms a stepping stone between the miniature world of the piano Préludes and the tumultuous virtuosity of his later piano music.

“Who would want to listen to anything after the Quartet for the end of Time? …while they lack the freedom of Messiaen's recording, the Gould Trio and Robert Plane are among the best modern accounts.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2008 ****

“The augmented Gould Trio… turns in an admirably well judged, scrupulously expressive performance, very well recorded. The Gould team offer a rarity in the form of Messiaen's piano arrangement of his early orchestral piece Les offrandes oubliées, and Benjamin Frith's fine performance underlines just how pianistic the turbulent central episode actually is.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2008

Chandos - CHAN10480

(CD)

$16.99

In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day.

Messiaen:

Concert à quatre (1990-1991)

Les Offrandes oubliées (1930)

Un Sourire (1989)

Le Tombeau resplendissant (1931)

Catherine Cantin, Heinz Holliger, Yvonne Loriod & Mstislav Rostropovich

Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, Myung-Whun Chung

DG - E4459472

(CD)

$16.99

Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days.

Messiaen - Piano Music

Messiaen:

Les Offrandes oubliées (1930)

Fantaisie burlesque

Pièce pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas

Rondeau

Prelude

La Fauvette des jardins

Hakon Austbo (piano)

Naxos - 8554655

(CD)

$6.99

Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days.

Messiaen:

Des Canyons aux Étoiles

Hymne au Saint-Sacrement

Les Offrandes oubliées (1930)

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Ensemble Ars Nova, Orchestre Philharmonique de l’O.R.T.F, Marius Constant

Apex - 2564604272

(CD - 2 discs)

$9.49

Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days.

Olivier Messiaen - 1908–1992 (100th Anniversary Box Set)

Messiaen:

Turangalila Symphony

Jeanne Loriod (ondes martenot) & Michel Béroff (piano)

London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn

Les Offrandes oubliées (1930)

Orchestre de Paris & Ensemble de Percussion de l’Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo

Chronochromie for large orchestra

BBC Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati

Éclairs sur l'au-delà…

Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle

Quatuor pour la fin du temps

Yvonne Loriod (piano), Christoph Poppen (violin), Manuel Fischer-Dieskau (cello) & Wolfgang Meyer (clarinet)

Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano

Christoph Poppen (violin) & Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Le Merle noir for flute and piano

Emmanuel Pahud (flute)

Preludes (8)

Michel Béroff (piano)

Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jésus

Michel Béroff (piano)

Visions de l'Amen for 2 pianos

Alexandre Rabinovitch & Martha Argerich (pianos)

Quatre Études de rythme

Michel Béroff (piano)

Cantéyodjayâ

John Ogdon (piano)

Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

Le Banquet Céleste

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

Diptyque

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

L'Ascension (organ version)

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

La Nativité du Seigneur

Olivier Messiaen (organ) & Naji Hakim (organ)

Priere apres la Communion

Naji Hakim (organ)

Les Corps Glorieux

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

Messe de la Pentecote

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

Livre d'Orgue

Olivier Messiaen (organ)

La Mort Du Nombre

Ann Murray (soprano), Philip Langridge (tenor), Andrew Watkinson (violin) & Roger Vignoles (piano)

Trois Mélodies

Michèle Command (soprano) & Marie-Madeleine Petit (piano)

Poèmes pour Mi, books 1 & 2 (complete)

Michèle Command (soprano) & Marie-Madeleine Petit (piano)

Chants de Terre et de Ciel

Michèle Command (soprano) & Marie-Madeleine Petit (piano)

Harawi (Chants d'amour et de Mort)

Michèle Command (soprano) & Marie-Madeleine Petit (piano)

3 Petites liturgies de la Presence Divine

Rolf Hind (piano) & Cynthia Millar (ondes Martenot)

London Sinfonietta & London Sinfonietta Chorus, Terry Edwards

Cinq rechants

Rolf Hind (piano) & Cynthia Millar (ondes Martenot)

London Sinfonietta, London Sinfonietta Chorus & London Sinfonietta Voices, Terry Edwards

Olivier Messiaen was born on 10th December 1908 in Avignon. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire from 1919 to 1930 where his teachers included Paul Dukas and the great organist and improviser Marcel Dupré. He developed a very distinctive style in the music and with his deep Catholic faith and love of birds he created a highly original palette in sound which he employed in works for orchestra, small combination of or merely solo instruments or choir. EMI is celebrating his centenary with a collection of 14CDs. Messiaen himself appears as the organist in four CDs of his solo organ music, recorded in from the earliest work up to and including to his then latest work Livre d’Orgue. These four CDs have been newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios.

His wife, Yvonne Loriod, plays the piano in the CD of the Quatuor pour la fin du Temps and his sister-in-law, Jeanne Loriod, plays the ondes-martenot in the Turangalila Symphony with Michel Beroff and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn. Although most works have been issued on CD before some are rare – e.g. 2 CDs of Melodies – and two are making their first appearance in this medium: Quatre etudes de rythme and Cantéyodjâya played by Beroff and Ogdon respectively. This is a fine set to introduce yourself to one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century.

EMI - 2174662

(CD - 14 discs)

Normally: $50.99

Special: $46.49

In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day.

Messiaen Edition

An 18-CD set offering a comprehensive overview of Messiaen’s work in recordings made between 1963 and 2000.

Messiaen:

Petites Esquisses d'Oiseaux

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Preludes (8)

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Quatre Études de rythme

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

La Nativité du Seigneur

Marie-Claire Alain (organ)

Le Banquet Céleste

Marie-Claire Alain (organ)

Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle

Marie-Claire Alain (organ)

Poèmes pour Mi, books 1 & 2 (complete)

Maria Oràn (soprano), Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Chants de Terre et de Ciel

Maria Oràn (soprano), Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Quatuor pour la fin du temps

Huguette Fernandez (violin), Guy Deplus (clarinet), Jacques Nielz (cello), Marie-Madeleine Petit (piano)

Cinq rechants

Solistes des chœurs de l’ORTF, Marcel Couraud

Visions de l'Amen for 2 pianos

Katia and Marièlle Labèque, pianos

Les Offrandes oubliées (1930)

Orchestre philharmonique de l’ORTF, Marcel Couraud

Hymne au Saint-Sacrement

Orchestre philharmonique de l’ORTF, Marcel Couraud

Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jésus

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Harawi (Chants d'amour et de Mort)

Rachel Yakar (soprano), Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Turangalila Symphony

Revised Messiaen Edition

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano), Dominique Kim (ondes Martenot)

Berliner Philharmoniker, Kent Nagano

Catalogue d'oiseaux Books 1-7 (Complete)

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

La Fauvette des jardins

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Le Réveil des oiseaux

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Orchestre National de France, Kent Nagano

Couleurs de la cité céleste

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Groupe Instrumental à Percussion de Strasbourg, Orchestre du Domaine Musical, Pierre Boulez

Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Groupe Instrumental à Percussion de Strasbourg, Orchestre du Domaine Musical, Pierre Boulez

L'Ascension (Quatre meditations pour l'orchestre)

Orchestre philharmonique de l’ORTF, Marius Constant

3 Petites liturgies de la Presence Divine

Yvonne Loriod (piano), Jeanne Loriod (onde Martenot)

Maîtrise et Orchestre de Chambre de la RTF, Marcel Couraud

Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité

Olivier Messiaen, organ (Recorded on the Cavaillé-Coll organ in La Trinité Church, Paris)

Des Canyons aux Étoiles

Yvonne Loriod (piano), Georges Barboteu (horn), Alain Jacquet (xylorimba), François Dupin (glockenspiel)

Ensemble Ars Nova, Marius Constant

Sept Haïkaï

Yvonne Loriod (piano)

Ensemble Ars Nova, Marius Constant

Olivier Messiaen, Yvonne Loriod, Marie-Claire Alain, Katia and Marielle Labeque

Kent Nagano & Pierre Boulez

includes a disc of Olivier Messiaen interviewed by Claude Samuel (in French), 1988

“A bumper bargain box of some of the greatest recordings-compulsive.” BBC Music Magazine, 1st October 2005

“…her playing is nothing short of magnificent – superb range of sonority, rock-sure rhythm, unfailing attention to polyphonic strands, thrilling attack and tender caress in equal measure. … Under her touch there seems to be no such thing as a worn-out harmony or an unmusical one.” Gramophone Magazine (on Yvonne Loriod's piano performances on these CDs)

BBC Music Magazine