Скачать или смотреть Messiaen’s Lark & Minerva’s Owl– Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins

Commissioned by Soundstreams for the TD Encounters Series (Nov. 12th 2025).
Written for pianist Louise Bessette.


Programme Notes:

Commissioned for an event devoted to climate change and other environmental issues, the following piece develops on Olivier Messiaen’s L'Alouette calandrelle (Greater short-toed lark) – from his famed Catalogue d’oiseaux.

It takes Messiaen’s original “bird song” on a journey or process (known as Vortex), stretching his material little by little until it becomes an almost unrecognizable piece. Much like the mythical Owl of Minerva (a nocturnal bird widely interpreted as a realization/knowledge which only comes after the fact), the Vortex here represents climate change (and other natural phenomena) – a gradual but steady development which, once understood, has already happened.

Furthermore, Messiaen’s Lark & Minerva’s Owl reflects on possible (perhaps subtle) differences in music written for piano today and 70 years ago.


Piece starts: 3:17

Messiaen's L'alouette calandrelle (Yvonne Loriod):
   • Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux / Book 5: 8....  


The Team:

Composer: Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins

Pianist: Louise Bessette

Presenter: Soundstreams

Audio/Video: Dennis Patterson