Momo Kodama – Olivier Messiaen: Catalogue d’oiseaux (2010) [SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]

Momo Kodama – Olivier Messiaen: Catalogue d’oiseaux (2010) [SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]
SACD Rip | 3x SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 158:03 minutes | Scans | 6,37 GB
or DSD64 2.0 (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Scans included | 6,24 GB
or FLAC (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/48 kHz | Scans included | 1,24 GB

Messiaen, who was an enthusiastic and accomplished ornithologist, investigated for his Catalogue d’oiseaux 13 birds with their songs and their specific sound environments. “I’m very attracted by the works of Messiaen. Catalogue d’oiseaux offers a new musical language. Each bird is evoked by his singing, his travels in its environment, the surrounding landscape etc. The music changes depending on whether the bird is found in the air of morning or evening, or depending on the weather. There are many birds in the catalogue, which gives a great diversity in sounds. The work reflects the beauty of nature, but there is also plenty of humor”. – Momo KodamaDoes any title underplay, misrepresent even, a work more than Catalogue d’oiseaux? Its connotations of a dry list say more about the parsimonious aesthetic context of the 1950s than the abundant riches found in Messiaen’s masterpiece. These 13 nature portraits are full of drama and musical invention, with Messiaen constantly finding new ways to convey his experience of the French countryside. This vast cycle is a Herculean challenge for the pianist, demanding virtuosity, profound poetry, a keen ear for colour and the finest nuances of touch.

Momo Kodama clearly has the music in her blood. In her hands, the jaunty opening volleys of ‘Le traquet stapazin’ bubble with cheerfulness, and she controls the numerous jumps in tempo and mood with a natural ease. The voicing of the ghosted chords in ‘L’alouette lulu’ is sublime, the ‘music of the ponds’ in ‘La rousserolle effarvatte’ ticks away with a suitably indifferent mystery, and Kodama captures the melancholic beauty of the final ‘Le courlis cendré’.

The recording is excellent, though it is a shame these are only stereo rather than surround-sound SACDs. Just occasionally, a touch more space would be welcome. The various interruptions to the sun-baked opening languor of ‘L’alouette calandrelle’ are a little frenetic and the silences could be even longer. This is only half a caveat, though, for Kodama’s dramatic sense is strong, and the controlled pace for the buzzard’s slow winding flight in ‘La buse variable’ is magical. This well-presented set makes a fine addition to the catalogue of Catalogues.

Tracklist:

01. Le Chocard des Alpes
02. Le Loriot
03. Le Merle bleu
04. Le Traquet Stapazin
05. La Chouette Hulotte
06. L’Alouette Lulu
07. La Rousserolle Effarvatte
08. L’Alouette Calandrelle
09. La Bouscarle
10. Le Merle de roche
11. La Buse variable
12. Le Traquet rieur
13. Le Courlis cendré

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