Quartet for the End of Time

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'Quartet for the End of Time' was first performed in 1941. The venue was Stalag VIII-A, a German prisoner-of-war camp where Oliver Messiaen was incarcerated during World War Two. Inspired by passages from the Book of Revelation the work imagines a world beyond time, a realm of discordant confusion, a place where, as Messiaen put it, only the "harmonious silence of heaven" existed. Composer: Olivier Messiaen Performer: Leonard Elschenbroich (Cello) Performer: Elena Urioste (Violin) Performer: Mark Simpson (Clarinet) Performer: Zhang Zuo (Piano) Recording date: 24 June 2014 Date of broadcast: 24 August 2014