Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) stands as one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century and among the foremost religious artists of any era. Writing in a time dominated by cynicism and in which abstraction at times became a sacred cow, the irrepressible optimism with which he expressed his religious convictions, allied to his faith in music's ability to portray, can only be described as remarkable. In this talk marking the composer's century year, Christopher Dingle explores some of the myriad ways in which, like stained-glass, Messiaen's musical meditations dazzle while exploring the sacred.
Christopher Dingle lectures at Birmingham Conservatoire and is the author/editor of several books on the French composer Olivier Messiaen, notably the acclaimed The Life of Messiaen (CUP) and Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature. He writes for BBC Music Magazine and was a member of the jury for the BBC Music Magazine 2008 CD awards.
He conceived and organized the Messiaen 2008 International Centenary Conference, and is in demand as a speaker, including at The Proms, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, Yale University (at the Forum on Music and Christian Scholarship) and at events in Norway, Canada and Hawaii.
