Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus

Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus is one of the most grandly conceived works in the piano literature. It was composed in 1944 in Paris, during terribly troubled times. Although it met with a mixed critical reception, the Vingt Regards are now recognized as one of the most important piano works of the twentieth century.

Steven Osborne is the ideal interpreter of this deeply religious, joyfully ecstatic music. He has played the complete Vingt Regards many times in concert, and after one performance at London's Wigmore Hall, The Independent wrote: "No pianist, surely, can have done it more justice … Osborne had a wonderful sense of sweep and colour [and] had his listeners rapt for no less than two hours and 10 minutes without an interval. Even unbelievers might have felt like falling to their knees".

Combining virtuoso aplomb with a deep spiritual understanding, we believe that this recording captures the atmosphere of this great music more than any other. Osborne's Messiaen is an overwhelming and intensely fulfilling musical experience—one not to be missed.

CDA67351/2  126 minutes 26 seconds (2 discs)
CRITICS' CHOICE (GRAMOPHONE)
EDITOR'S CHOICE (GRAMOPHONE)
BEST OF THE YEAR (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH)
BEST CD OF 2002 (BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE)
THE BEST OF 2002 (FONOFORUM)
ALBUM OF THE WEEK (MUSIC WEEK)
‘An ideal combination of spirituality and transcendent virtuosity. This is an outstanding achievement. If you enjoy Messiaen's music, you need to hear this’ (BBC Radio 3 CD Review)
‘There are two reasons for saluting this new set: because it is an extremely fine performance of the Vingt Regards and because it reveals a pianist of exceptional gifts … Steven Osborne's ...
‘Few possess the spiritual, emotional and physical stamina required for a successful interpretation of the complete cycle … Steven Osborne’s new account certainly demonstrates these qualities in ...