Vincent Benitez

Although it was published in 2005, Messiaen reflects how my career as a musician was shaped through its detailed account of the life and music of the great French composer Olivier Messiaen. I have loved the music of Messiaen ever since I was in high school. Pursuing that love led me to study a composer whose approach to music was so unbelievably rich through its connections to the music of other cultures, color, painting, philosophy, and theology, resulting in great innovations in the areas of melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. In sum, becoming a performer and scholar of Messiaen's music has changed my life immeasurably. Merci beaucoup, cher Maître!