Chants de Terre et de Ciel (Songs of Earth and Heaven) is a song cycle in six movements for soprano and piano by Olivier Messiaen, on text by the composer himself. It was composed in 1938 and premiered at the Société Triton's Concerts du Triton, at the École Normale de Musique de Paris in Paris on the 23 January 1939 with Marcelle Bunlet as the soprano and the composer at the piano. The cycle is deeply personal and reflects Messiaen's joy at the birth of his son Pascal in 1937, as well as his deep Catholicism.https://symposium.music.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=9358:chants-de-terre-et-de-ciel-olivier-messiaen&Itemid=133 symposium.music.org
Movements Each movement has a title and a dedication.
A performance usually lasts around 32 minutes.
Discography Maria Oràn, soprano, Yvonne Loriod, piano (+ Poèmes pour Mi); Ed. Erato, 1988 Hetna Regitze Bruun, soprano, Kristoffer Hyldig, piano (+ Poèmes pour Mi, Vocalise-Étude); Naxos 8.573247, 2015 Barbara Hannigan, soprano, Bertrand Chamayou, piano; Messiaen Alpha Classics ALPHA1033, 2024
References
Presentation booklet of the Oràn-Loriod recording.