Visions for two pianos

You don’t have to be religious to be touched by French composer Olivier Messiaen’s deeply spiritual Vision de l’Amen. Tonight offers a rare opportunity to hear this monumental work live. The performance will be given by Pavel Kolesnikov en Samson Tsoy, two young Russian pianists based in London. They are self-proclaimed lovers of the Muziekgebouw, whose acoustics and atmosphere they know well and highly appreciate.

Messiaen composed his Vision de l’Amen during World War II in Paris, where he and his wife Yvonne Loriod premiered it on 10 May 1943. Kolesnikov and Tsoy offer a compelling program that juxtaposes the grand musical architecture of Messiaen with the intimate miniatures of Johann Sebastian Bach and the contemporary master György Kurtág, who excels in depth and refinement. In 2023, Kolesnikov and Tsoy organised their highly successful interdisciplinary festival Ragged Music at the Muziekgebouw: ‘Without any doubt, the performance exceeded the high expectations that were set for it’, wrote the Volkskrant.