One work. More than 120 musicians.
In cooperation with the Institute for Classical Music at the Basel Academy of Music FHNW
With eleven movements, Olivier Messiaen's "Éclairs sur l'au-delà…" not only occupies the entire evening program but also exceeds the conventional instrumentation of a symphony orchestra. This ambitious project—and a passion project of our Principal Conductor Titus Engel—is realized with nearly 50 students from the Basel Academy of Music, who join the Basel Sinfonietta on stage, thus making this monumental ensemble possible.
Messiaen, whose work was deeply intertwined with his profound Catholic faith, dedicated the work to a monumental theme: the biblical concept of heaven and eternity. With movement titles such as "Appearance of the Transfigured Christ" (first movement), "The Stars and the Glory" (eighth movement), and "Christ, Light of Paradise" (final movement), the work paints overwhelming musical pictures. For in addition to religious inspiration, Messiaen's perception was characterized by a unique quality: musical chords appeared to him as colors, a phenomenon that is particularly palpable in this work.
His other great passion, ornithology, is also omnipresent in Messiaen's visions of the afterlife. The birds, which he revered as "little messengers of divine joy," are represented by a polyphonic, complex twittering and wander throughout the entire orchestra. The composer himself did not live to see his final masterpiece; he died six months before its premiere in New York in 1992. Yet his musical farewell to the "afterlife" is anything but somber or melancholic—it is a radiant testament to hope.
The concert will be recorded by Radio SRF 2 Kultur. It will be broadcast on Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 8-10 pm on Radio SRF 2 Kultur.
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