Deryk wrote:

>could understand (if not sympathise with (his remark if it was about
>ne of Messiaen's truly religious works: L'Ascencion, Et Exspecto
>esurrecionem Mortuorum, La natitivite du Seigneur, etc.  etc.

>ut Turangalila is *not* about religion.  It is about love and death and is
>he central work in what M sometimes referred to as his "Tristan" trilogy
>the other two being, IIRC, Cinq Rechants and Harawi).

I totally agree.  Moreover, one might want to add that any composer will
not hold up if appreciation of his music totally depends totally on whether
you agree with him or not on the ideas behind his music.  I think Ein
Heldenleben great music despite of the egotrip the Strauss apparantly
takes.

For me, Messiaen holds up ONLY because of the wealth and variety of
ideas, the rich colours, the wonderfull rythms and above all the sense of
inevitability:  all this isn't just a pile of humbug but just right as it
should be.  I am reminded of what fictional Salieri says in the fictional
movie "Amadeus":  Change one note and it would destroy the whole building.

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