Oiseaux exotiques

Oiseaux exotiques (Exotic birds) is a piece for piano and small orchestra by Olivier Messiaen. It was written between 5 October 1955 and 3 January 1956 and was commissioned by Pierre Boulez. It is dedicated to Yvonne Loriod, the composer's wife.[1]

Premiere

This piece was first performed on 10 March 1956 in Paris at the Théâtre du Petit Marigny by Yvonne Loriod and the ensemble Domaine musical, conducted by Rudolf Alberth.

Orchestral setting

Piano, piccolo, 2 flutes, oboe, 4 clarinets, clarinet in E-flat, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 French horns, trumpet, glockenspiel, xylophone, 6 percussionists.

The work
Golden-fronted leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons)

The birdsongs in this piece are from Asia and the Americas: the Southern hill myna (? "Mainate hindou"), the Golden-fronted leafbird, the Baltimore oriole, the Greater prairie chicken, the Northern mockingbird, the catbird, the Indian robin, the White-crested laughingthrush, the American robin (entrusted to the two clarinets), the Swainson's thrush, the Hermit thrush, the Red-whiskered bulbul and the Wood thrush.

Hindu rhythms

Decî-Tâlas of ancient India, Cârngadeva system: Nihcankalîla, Gajalîla, Laksmîca, Caccarî, Candrakâla, Dhenkî, Gajajhampa - and karnâtic theory: Matsya-Sankirna, Triputa-Miśra, Matsya-Tiśra, Atatâla-Cundh.

Greek rhythms

Composed feet by the metre: Typistlo-Epitrite; verses by the metre: lambelegiac, logaedic verses: Asclepiad, Saphique, Glyconic, Aristophanian, Phalaean, Peregrinean.

Duration

The piece lasts about 16 minutes.

Recording

Michael Thompson (French horn), London Sinfonietta (Orchestra), Paul Crossley (piano) (+ Des canyons aux étoiles..., Couleurs de la Cité céleste) CBS Records, 1989, Angelin Chang (piano) + Cleveland Chamber Symphony) New European Recordings, won the 2007 GRAMMY for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra)

See also

References
  1. Aspen Music Festival program notes
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