The stars shine brightly: Morlot conducts Messiaen in Manchester

Under the twinkling lights of Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall auditorium a sense of awe descended at the end of Messiaen’s colossal Des Canyons aux étoiles. Over the course of 90 minutes the players of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with pianist Steven Osborne, under the direction of Ludovic Morlot, conjured up many extraordinary musical visions. From birdsongs to whistling winds, star-filled heavens to evocations of the canyons of Utah, one could envisage the finest details of the landscape. Canyons is quintessential Messiaen, with imitations of birdsong and an inherent spirituality and bright metallic textures synonymous with his orchestral writing — as in his Turangalîla-Symphonie – are plentiful.

Osborne and Morlot have previously recorded Des canyons aux étoiles and their familiarity with the piece shone through here, Morlot knowing instinctively how to dovetail each movement with great individuality. Part 1 opens with Le Désert, which unfolded atmospherically, setting the scene as a space in which nature and spirituality unite. The opening theme is played on the French horn, before giving away to a blaze of orchestral writing; Martin Owen's playing was confident and sure-footed, but also sinister and dark on occasions. As Part 1 progressed with its five movements, having taken in birdsong and starlit skies, concluding with Cedar Breaks et le don de crainte, Morlot created a phenomenal vision in the mind’s eye.

After a short pause to gather one’s breath, Part 2 seemed the most considered. The score to Appel intersellaire is prefaced with a quotation from Job, indicating the profundity Messiaen wanted from the solo horn line. Owen had memorised this, leaving his seat and coming to the front of the stage to face the audience, performing vivaciously. Working with the acoustic of the hall, using the reverberance like the canyons, Owen was captivating, not only for his sheer musical expression, but for his flawless technique before the work’s most substantial movement, Bryce Canyon et les rochers rouge-orange. The pacing of Part 3 clearly had the direction of the Celestial City in mind, reaching its peak in the final movement Zion Park et La cité céleste. Morlot and Osborne knew this was their final destination and strove to take us to this radiant destination.

Osborne’s playing throughout was mesmerising, a real master of the keyboard. His ability to draw a range of timbres and tones with such a wide range of dynamics was exceptional. In voicing the complex chords and clusters there was always clarity; musical lines had direction and shape with intuitive awareness of how this highly complex music can be phrased eloquently. In Les orioles and La grive des bois the piano interacts with the orchestra in a more measured way to depict birdsong, which Osborne and Morlot did with refinement. In the movements for solo piano – Le cossyphe d’Heuglin and La moqueur polyglotte – Osborne played with a greater air of freedom and spontaneity, but then fitted seamlessly back into the orchestral sections that followed.

The BBCPO were exceptional under Morlot, who handled the complexities of the score with ease. The technical challenges, especially for the wind players, appeared effortless, and the brass playing was also remarkable. Paul Patrick (xylorimba) and Tim Williams (glockenspiel) were Osborne’s equals, playing with diligence and care, changing mallets to subtly change dynamics, timbre and resonance in what was an astounding performance.