Irish pianist Isabelle O'Connell performs Messiaen's two-piano masterpiece in Cork and Dublin in May, joined by fellow-pianist Laura Barger. Their performance of this work, which was first given in New York last year, comes to Irish audiences with two special concerts on Friday, 29 May at 1.00pm at the Cork School of Music and on Saturday, 30 May at 3.00pm, at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.

Filled with ecstatic emotional intensity and vivid keyboard colours, Visions de l'Amen was written in 1943. This followed Messiaen's release from a prisoner-of-war camp in 1941 and the work was written for the phenomenal 19-year-old pianist Yvonne Loriod (his student, later to become his second wife). The work was premiered in occupied Paris with Loriod playing piano one and Messiaen himself playing piano two.

These concerts have been made possible with funding from the Arts Council.

Further information: Sinead Meaney - Dublin, email sineadmeaney@gmail.com, tel. 086-881 3393; Gabriela Mayer - Cork, email gabriela.mayer@cit.ie

Posted: 27 April 2009