Corvus kvartett, Tromsø:
Jakob Rørtveit – violin
Jonatan Kraft – cello
Stine Skeidsvoll Haugland – clarinet
Eivind Lauvold Bertheussen – piano
Thorsten Ahlrichs – organ
Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time) is one of the most extraordinary chamber works of the twentieth century. Written in 1940–41 while the composer was imprisoned in a German prisoner-of-war camp, the piece was first performed there by four musicians using the instruments available: clarinet, violin, cello, and piano.
The title refers not to the destruction of the world, but to the idea of eternity — a world beyond ordinary human time. Messiaen was deeply inspired by his Catholic faith, by birdsong, and by vivid colors and rhythms, all of which can be heard throughout the work. Some movements are intense and dramatic, while others unfold with almost complete stillness, inviting the listener into a different sense of time and space.
Even listeners unfamiliar with modern classical music may find the quartet surprisingly direct and emotional. Rather than following traditional melodies and forms, the music creates powerful atmospheres: moments of ecstasy, meditation, terror, and radiant calm. Listening to the work can feel less like following a story and more like entering a series of visions.
In the beginning of the concert Thorsten Ahlrichs will play Le Banquet céleste by Messiaen. This piece is a short meditation about the holy eucharist for organ solo and shows Messiaen’s deep, mystic understanding of the catholic liturgy and the exceptional use of colourful sound of the organ.
Kjøp billetter
Adults NOK 200, children 7-15 NOK 100
