Messiaen Poems Pour Mi Book One

Messiaen: Poèmes Pour Mi - Premier Livre -- pour grand soprano dramatique 1936
Texts by the composer.
Performed by Emma Baker-Spink (soprano) Therese Milanovic (piano) in 2008 at St Mary's Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point in Brisbane.
www.ikonmusic.com.au

In 1936 Messiaen wrote Poèmes Pour Mi, as an intense insight into his passionate marriage (of four years at the time of composition) to composer Claire Delbos ( 1906-1959). Delbos was affectionately referred to by her husband as 'Mi'.
In this incredibly powerful cycle of songs, Messiaen has addressed in both text and music, his fervent Catholicism, landscapes and scenes from nature, and his love for Delbos. He depicts the journey of his relationship with God and Delbos, the latter, whom he believed was sent to him as a reward for his faith.
Musically, he has explored a world of rhythmic discoveries -- sourced from Greek and Indian meters, rhythmic canons and non-retrogradable rhythms.
Messiaen's vocal writing in this cycle was inspired by the "great dramatic soprano" Marcelle Bunlet , "who had a very versatile voice and a very wide range, and was at ease singing Isolde, Kundry and Brünnhilde. Thus, it is for her that I wrote my song cycles that are very long, very tiring for the breath, and require a very wide vocal range."
Emma Baker-Spink




Poèmes pour Mi Premier Livre Text and music by Olivier Messiaen

1. Action de graces

Le Ciel,
Et l'eau qui suit les variations des nuages
Et la terre, et les montagmes qui attendent toujours,
Et la lumiere qui transforme.
Et un oeil, une pensée
Prés de ma pensée,
Et un visage qui sourit et pleure avec le mien,
Et deux pieds derrière mes pieds
Comme la vague et la vague est unie
Et une âme,
Invisible, pleine d'amour et d'immortalité,
Et un vêtement de chair et d'os qui germera
Pour la resurrection,
Et la Verité, et l'Esprit, et la grace avec
Son heritage de lumiere,
Tout cela, vous me l'avez donné.
Et vous vous êtes encore donné
Dans l'obéissance et dans le sang de
Votre Croix,
Et dans un Pain plus doux que la fraîcheur
Des étoiles,
Mon Dieu.
Alléluia!




1. Thanksgiving

The sky,
And water which follows the
Variations of the clouds
And earth and the ever-waiting mountains,
And light which transforms.
And an eye close to my eye, and a
Thought close to my thought,
And a face which smiles and cries with mine,
And two feet behind my feet
As wave to wave is joined.
And one soul,
Invisible, full of love and
Immortality,
And a robe of flesh and bone which
Will spring up for the Resurrection,
And Truth, and the Spirit, and grace
With it's heritage of light,
All this Thou hast given me.
And Thou hast also given me Thyself,
In obedience and in the blood of Thy Cross,
And in a Bread sweeter than the
Freshness of the stars,
Lord God,
Alleluia!

2. Paysage

Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu,
La route pleine de chagrins et de fondrières,
Mes pieds qui hesitant dans la poussière,
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu,
Et la voilà, verte et bleue comme le
Paysage!
Entre le blé et le soleil je vois son
Visage:
Elle sourit, la main sur les yeux,
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu,




2. Landscape

The lake like a big blue jewel,
The road full of sorrows and hollows,
My feet that falter in the dust,
The lake like a big blue jewel,
There she is, green and blue like the
Landscape!
Between the corn and the sun, I see her face:
She smiles, her hand over her eyes,
The lake like a big blue jewel,




3. La Maison

Cette maison nous allons la quitter:
Je la vois dans ton oeil,
Nous quitterons nos corps aussi:
Je les vois dans ton oeil,
Toutes ces images de douleur qui
S'impriment dans ton oeil,
Quand nous contemplerons la Vérité,
Dans les corps purs, jeunes
Éternellement lumineux......

3. The house

We shall be leaving this house;
I see it in your eye.
We shall leave our bodies too;
I see them in your eye.
All these images of sorrow stamped in your eye,
Your eye will find them no more:
When we contemplate Truth,
In bodies that are pure, young and
Eternally bright.

4. Épouvante

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ho!
N'enfouis pas tes souvenirs dans la
Terre, te ne les retrouverais plus.
Ne tire pas, ne froisse pas, ne déchire pas.
Des lambeaux sanglants te
Suivraient dans les ténebrès
Comme une vomisure traingulaire.
Et le choc bruyant des anneaux sur
La porte irreparable
Rythmerait ton désespoir
Pour rassasier les puissances de feu
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ho!

4. Terror




Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ho!
Do not hide your memories in the
Earth, you might not find them again.
Neither drag, crumple nor tear,
Bleeding tatters will follow you into
The darkness
Like spasmodic vomiting.
And the loud collision of the bolts of the door of no return
Will energise your despair
To sate the fiery powers.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ho!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Messiaen
• Poems
• Pour
• Mi
• Book
• Emma
• Baker-Spink
• Therese
• Milanovic
• vocal