Episode 1

Louise Fryer introduces a concert given at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall for the 2008 centenary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen, featuring organist Wayne Marshall performing Les corps glorieux. Written in 1939, the work is one of five major organ cycles by Messiaen dealing with aspects of the Catholic faith and each of the seven movements is headed by a text from the New Testament or the Roman Catholic liturgy.