The End of Time

Messiaen's astonishing and apocalyptic 'Quartet for the End of Time' kicks off the first late-night event of the 2019 Sheffield Chamber Music Festival.

Inspired by the visionary language of the Apocalypse, the 'Quartet for the End of Time' is imbued with the religious faith that sustained Messiaen during his internment alongside three other French musicians in Stalag 8 prisoner of war camp during the winter of 1940/41. Manuscript paper was provided by a guard, the camp authorities brought in a piano, and the first performance took place on a bitterly cold January evening in front of an audience of fellow prisoners, some of whom were wounded and laid out on stretchers. From this tortured beginning, a profound 20th century masterpiece emerged.

Programme

• MESSIAEN: Quatuor pour la fin du temps