DESCRIPTION:
Thirteenth movement of 'Livre du Saint Sacrement' (1984). It is astonishing that a man in his mid-seventies could write a piece with such tremendous energy. It refers to a parallel between the presence of God in the two walls of water at the time of the crossing of the Red Sea and the presence of Christ in the two parts of the broken Host. A muscular toccata alternates with the sound of the Orpheus mocking-bird. In the middle, arpeggios in separate counter-movement represent the soaring walls of water. Then the toccata is resumed and we hear the sound of the great reed warbler. The fortissimo finale places complementary colours on top of each other: ( in the words of Messiaen himself): bright green over reddish-brown, yellow over violet. Recording by Marcel van den Tol.


When I was nineteen old, I was struck by a passage from Forkel's biography on Bach, published in 1802, from which it appeared that the great man achieved a huge expression with very small movements of hands and feet only. Ever since this had been a guideline for my musicianship and now—after more than forty years of practicing—Forkel's observation is the starting point for ”The Art of Playing the Organ". A series of videos will show an approach that is at the same time joyful, healthy, and efficient and may support young musicians with their studies. See www.willemtanke.com