Afternoon at the National Philharmonic – Olivier Messiaen’s Amen Visions

After ten months in a German prisoner of war camp, during which Olivier Messiaen composed and performed for the first time one of his most remarkable works, the Quartet for the End of Time, in 1941. he returned to Paris in the spring. A couple of years later, he presented a new composition, “Visions of Amen” (Visions de l’Amen), which seems to begin where the quartet ended…

About the piece it says: “The word ‘amen’ has four different meanings. It can mean “let it be!” as an act of creation; “I surrender, I accept. Teesie Thy will!”; “the wish, the desire, for it to be so – that You give yourself to me, and I give myself to You”; “that’s how it is. Everything is in heaven, eternally decided and fulfilled…” In seven musical visions, the composer tried to express the various and deep meanings of the word amen wealth.

The finale of the cycle features an imitation of bell music, called one of the most memorable piano music of all time. The composer dedicated “Visions de l’Amen” to the famous pianist, his wife Yvonne Loriod, with whom he performed this work together in many European countries.

“Amen visions” with the well-known Lithuanian pianist Petrus Genius will be performed by his colleague Stephen Coombs. He is one of the most prominent British pianists of his generation, who actively performs not only as a soloist and recital performer, but also plays chamber music, having founded the chamber ensemble “Room-Music Ensemble”. He is currently Professor of Piano at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Mr. Coombs’ repertoire spans from the Baroque to the present day, and he has earned a reputation as a master of rarities in piano music.

O. Messiaen’s “Amen Visions” is a rarity on concert stages. On the stage of the Philharmonic, they will sound unique – not so much in the form of a concert, but in the form of an evening of concentration. Philosopher Jonas Dagys – professor of the Department of History of Philosophy and Analytical Philosophy of Vilnius University, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, who works in the tradition of analytical philosophy, researches contemporary problems of philosophy of consciousness, epistemology and modal metaphysics, probably remembered for a wider audience from 2019- in 2020 Philosophical conversation show “Mature Conversations” hosted by “LRT Plus” TV. A mature conversation should be expected this time as well.