1978), Messiaen is among the most strikingly individual of 20th-century composers. He entered the Paris Conservatoire aged 11, specialising in organ, improvisation and composition (he studied with ...

In May 1940, 34-year-old composer Olivier Messiaen – then serving as a medical auxiliary in the French army – was captured by the Germans and sent to a POW camp. There, he wrote one of his ...

the French composer visited the United States seeking inspiration. He found it in the National Parks of Utah, and the wild canyons of the desert are a perfect partner for Messiaen's powerful ...