Main content

Olivier Messiaen and the Interstellar Call!

In a live edition of The Listening Service, Tom Service hears and responds to Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Interstellar Call’. Join us on the launch pad!

In a live edition of The Listening Service, Tom Service hears and responds to composer Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Interstellar Call’, sent out in his epic "From the canyons to the stars..." The music is inspired by the wild beauty of Arizona, filled with birdsong and the sounds of nature, but also with a cosmic sense of awe - where does Messiaen's visionary work fit in the culture of the early 70s and in the present day?

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Sun 28 Jul 2019 19:00

Music Played

  • Charles Ives

    2 Contemplations K.V.23 for chamber orchestra

    Performer: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
    • DGG.
    • 4292202-.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Des Canyons aux etoiles for piano, horn and orchestra

  • John Williams

    Close encounters - music for the film

    Conductor: John Williams. Performer: Studio Orchestra.
    • Alhambra.
    • a8915.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Des Canyons aux etoiles for piano, horn and orchestra

    Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach. Performer: John Ryan. Performer: London Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • LPO.
    • 0083.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Des Canyons aux etoiles for piano, horn and orchestra

    Performer: French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Myung-Whun Chung.
    • DG.
    • 4716172.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Feuillets inedits for Ondes Martenot and piano

    Performer: Estelle Lemire. Performer: Louise Bessette.
    • ATMA.
    • ACD22621.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Turangalila-symphonie

    Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Kent Nagano.
    • TELDEC.
    • 8573820432.
  • Elmer Bernstein

    Ghostbusters

    Performer: Elmer Bernstein.
    • ARISTA.
    • 258-720.
  • Maurice Jarre

    Lawrence of Arabia Overture

    Conductor: Tony Bremmer. Performer: Philharmonia Orchestra.
    • Silva Screen.
    • film cd-036.
  • Jonny Greenwood

    There Will Be Blood

    Conductor: Robert Ziegler. Performer: 91ȱ Concert Orchestra. Performer: Emperor Quartet.
    • MIRAMAX.
    • STCD-400025.
  • Alexander Courage

    Star Trek Theme: Main Title

    Performer: Alexander Courage.
    • GNP CRESCENDO.
    • N/A.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Turangalila-symphonie

    Conductor: Juanjo Mena. Performer: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • HYPERION.
    • CDA67816.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Turangalila-symphonie

    Conductor: André Previn. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • warner.
    • 5099921746659.
  • György Ligeti

    Lux aeterna for chorus

    Conductor: Clytus Gottwald. Performer: Schola Cantorum Stuttgart.
    • WERGO.
    • WER60162-50.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Quatuor pour la fin du temps for clarinet, piano, violin and cello

    Performer: James Clark. Performer: Matthew Schellhorn.
    • signum.
    • sigcd126.

Broadcast

  • Sun 28 Jul 2019 19:00

Why do we call it 'classical' music?

Tom Service poses a very simple question (with a not-so-simple answer).

Six of the world's most extreme voices

From babies to Mongolian throat singers: whose voice is the most extreme of all?

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

How Schoenberg opened a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.

Why are we all addicted to bass?

Why are we all addicted to bass?

Bass is everywhere, but why do we enjoy it? Join Tom Service on a journey of discovery.

Watch the animations

Join Tom Service on a musical journey through beginnings, repetition and bass lines.

When does noise become music?

We like to think we can separate “noise” from “music”, but is it that simple?

Podcast