Peter Hill: Messiaen's La Colombe and a Sightreading Exercise

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How can a piano be made to sound like a bird?

Here you will hear Peter Hill, former student of composer Olivier Messiaen, describe and demonstrate his expertise on his mentor's work in his performance of these haunting pieces.

The two pieces Hill performs, "The Dove" and one of Messiaen's all-but-lost sight reading exercises, provide a lofty height from which to spread your wings and take a first leap into this composers's (and this performer's) virtuosic portfolio.

This performance is brought to you by a partnership between the 2008 Chicago Humanities Festival: Thinking Big! and the 2008 Messiaen Music Festival presented by the University of Chicago.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Messiaen
• birds
• piano
• classical
• music
• humanities
• Chicago
• Peter Hill
• Chicago Humanities Festival

[neonwind]

I'm sure this sight reading piece is also an Ondes Martenot piece and/or transcription. (I've tried to play this on the Theremin)

[ChicagoHumanities]

@neonwind Maybe you should try arranging The Dove for theremin. While it seems it would be a nigh-impossible technical challenge, it might sound really amazing even if you came close. The Dove's leitmotif is quite haunting.

[PatrickJHooper]

spcfsu1.  Thank you for taking the time to respond. Appreciated.

[spcfsu1]

@PatrickJHooper Yes it is.

[PatrickJHooper]

Is the third piece the "Tombeau de Paul Dukas"?

[neonwind]

Brilliant! & presented in the gentlemanly way,thank you for this upload. I love this piece as it's the only Messiaen I really play!

[unkastacky]

So fabulous.

[kimweonill]

Unspeakable. Just free, just perfect.

[alyciela]

he is so good!

[4candles]

Peter Hill played an all-Messiaen concert in the School of Music in Queen's University Belfast, Norther Ireland, a few years ago, which was nothing short of marvellous. A great musician and expert on his master's music.