🇫🇷Olivier Messiaen ： Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus Regard de l’Onction terrible

The 18th piece from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. Heavy chordal blows, sharp accents, and complex rhythms come to the fore, creating a sense of tension as though an immense force were surging forward. The contrast between densely packed sonorities and moments when the registers suddenly open out, together with their lingering resonance, helps shape the work. A central point of interest is following the movement of these blocks of sound and their changing colors. In performance, even at full volume, the sound should not become harsh; the layering of voices and the spacing of attacks should remain clear. Pedaling should allow resonance while avoiding blur, and a steady pulse should be maintained through the abrupt changes of expression.