KAPmodern: Liturgie aus Kristall

Apocalypse, Freedom, and Revelation: Music by Messiaen, Boulez, Xenakis, and Stockhausen

Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time takes center stage at two KAPmodern concerts. “There will be no more time,” the angel ominously proclaims the apocalypse. The work is a memorial against war and a beacon of resilience, a divine vision—peacefully transcendent, infinitely rich in color, and exuding trust in God.

Messiaen’s music resonates in the works of his students, who creatively developed his ideas further. Pierre Boulez adopts his keen sense of timbre, albeit demystified. Yannis Xenakis’ path toward completely abstract music is rooted in Messiaen’s conviction regarding the absolute freedom of art. And in Karlheinz Stockhausen’s music, the future, crystalline sound of electronic transistors is already shimmering.