iSound

Niemann and Tilles play like one person with four very powerful hands and the recording is as crystalline as Messiaen's religious vision: * * * *

--Oakland Tribune

I. Amen of the Creation

Amen, so be it! "God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light!" (Genesis)

II. Amen of the Stars, of the Ringed Planet

A savage and brutal dance. The stars, suns, and Saturn the planet with its multicolored ring, rotate violently. "God called them, and they said, 'Amen here we are!'" (Baruch).

III. Amen of the Agony of Jesus

Jesus suffers and weeps. "My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (St. Matthew)

IV. Amen of Desire

There are two themes of desire. The first, slow, ecstatic and yearning with deep tenderness: already the peaceful perfume of Paradise. The second is extermely passionate; here the soul is torn by terrib...