Have to tell a joke on myself regarding Messiaen.
I decided to take a chance on Quartet for the End of Time on Naxos,
being totally unfamiliar with the piece. Was listening to it on the
computer while doing something else. Somehow, the CD player reset itself
to shuffle play, and I listened to the thing in random order without
noticing. Finally figured it out when I checked to see how much longer
I had to sit through it. A very discerning ear here.
Having said that, I've listened to it again a couple of times. I can't say
that I like it too well, but it's not as bad as the first time. Wonder if
I'd have liked it more if I'd kept it on shuffle.
Mitch Friedfeld