Olivier Messiaen's artistic creed is built on music that highlights sensuality, melody, Catholic mysticism and an unbridled palette of colour, all of which has made him a unique figure in French music. Messiaen's cosmos is full of paradox and perplexity, conceived on a visionary scale. The combination of rationality and mysticism, of the worldly and otherworldly, of paeans to nature and dances of the stars - this is all constantly intertwined with the aim of praising God. Messiaen was an ardent catholic, he was an ornithologist, and he gathered important elements of his musical idiom from East Asia. These fuse with an unusually large orchestra to produce an ecstatic and mystic sound world.

Sylvain Cambreling's in-depth knowledge of Messiaen's works is peerless, which led to performances with the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg that remain unrivalled.

"Completely satisfying… I cannot recommend this set highly enough for admirers of this very complex composer." – Fanfare