Messiaen Edition Box on Warner

[Manish]

Hi all,

I have been listening to some Messiaen and am interested in buying some more of his recordings.  In particular I am interested in buying the Messian Edition Box from Warner (18 CDs).  It is currently on sale at Prestoclassical.  Does anyone have this set and can comment on the quality of the performances.  Any insight would be helpful.  I generally do not like buying box sets, but this one seemed intriguing.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/search.php?searchString=messiaen+edition+warner

[karlhenning]

Well, it's got a reciording of Messiaen himself playing the Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité: that must be something. The box includes a few pieces in recordings conducted by Boulez, which I've got in one of the Sony Boulez reissue boxes. I can speak to those, they are excellent.

[jlaurson]

Hi all,

I have been listening to some Messiaen and am interested in buying some more of his recordings.  In particular I am interested in buying the Messian Edition
Box from Warner (18 CDs).  It is currently on sale at Prestoclassical.  Does anyone have this set and can comment on the quality of the performances.  Any
insight would be helpful.  I generally do not like buying box sets, but this one seemed intriguing.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/search.php?searchString=messiaen+edition+warner

I understand your hesitation re: box sets... presumably a hesitation that goes beyond worrying about the quality of the performances.
About the latter, though, I can assure you you need not worry: that box is top-notch! Short review: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2007/01/best-recordings-of-2006.html

[scarlattiglenross]

I agree. This is a cracking set - worth it for the composer's organ recordings alone!

Edit: I beg your pardon - I was in fact referring to a different set, also on sale: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/2174662

That one gets my vote instead!

[jlaurson]

I agree. This is a cracking set - worth it for the composer's organ recordings alone!

Edit: I beg your pardon - I was in fact referring to a different set, also on sale: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/2174662

That one gets my vote instead!

Oh, but the Warner set is generally better (and bigger) than the EMI set, you don't think?
With Yvonne Loriod's (Messiaen's second wife for whom most of his piano music was written) performances of Petites esquisses d'oiseaux, the Préludes,
Quatre Études de rythme, Poèmes pour Mi, Chants de terre et de ciel (with Maria Orán), Harawi (with Rachel Yakar), La Fauvette des jardins, Révail des oiseaux
(along with Nagano and the Orchestre National de France), and most importantly the Catalogue d'oiseaux and Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jésus...
If Messiaen playing his own music is important, this set contains his (that is: played by himself) Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte-Trinité on 'his' Cavaillé-Coll organ
of La Trinité. I prefer Nagano's Turangalila (Warner) over Previn's (EMI); admittedly I have other favorites for the Quartet for the End of Times than
Huguette Fernandez - Guy Deplus - Jacques Nielz - Marie-Madeleine Petit, classica recording though it is.... http://www.weta.org/oldfmblog/?p=440
Not that the EMI set is bad, but I think it takes a clear third place after the DG and Warner sets.

[Conor71]

I have had this box for about 2 months and have listened to about 1/3 of it so far - the performances are very good I think
I would certainly recommend this box - it is a great way to get many of Messiaens most important works!.