Olivier Messiane: Le Loriot from Catalogue d'Oiseaux

Taka Kigawa performs Olivier Messiaen's Le Loriot from Catalogue d'Oiseaux at The Juilliard School's Evening Division class, "Olivier Messiaen and Birdsong," led by Brad Balliett and Doug Balliett.

Course Description:
In the early 1950s, Olivier Messiaen was at a crossroads. Feeling pushed out of his position as the leader of the French avant-garde, he worried that his language was out-of-date, and his strongly Catholic pieces were not landing with audiences. He found his inspiration and way forward in a very unlikely place: birdsong. Birdsong became an integral building block in every piece for the remainder of his life, and many of his pieces consist of nothing but birdsong. This course traces the evolution of Messiaen’s birdsong use, focusing on a handful of pieces including Oiseaux Exotiques, Catalogue d’Oiseaux and From the Canyons to the Stars. Students will learn how Messiaen transforms birdsong into his own inimitable language and try their own hands at turning the songs of common Central Park birds into music! No score-reading experience necessary.