Few twentieth-century chamber works compare with Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps. Written and performed during his captivity in a German prisoner of war camp in 1941, the work requires of its performers an empathy with Messiaen's religious ideals, as well as a flexible and dynamic approach to an array of textures, timbres and instrumental colours. Messiaen once remarked that his music was not intrinsically beautiful, preferring instead to describe his textures as 'harsh'; in certain respects, he was right - his need to create interpretive, coloured textures or copy the sounds of nature led to the development of a harmonic language that was to become quintessentially his own. But there are other aspects: pure, soaring melodic lines, themselves often an elucidation of spiritual ecstasy, cannot be described as anything other than beautiful, and are certainly highlighted by their juxtaposition against other elements, such as the harsh and sometimes brutal timbres of birdsong.

The Quatuor is now staple diet for chamber musicians and, although several recordings are available, few are worthy of the music. Yet another release might go unnoticed by the listening public, but Deutsche Grammophon's offering, performed by Gil Shaham, Paul Meyer, Jian Wang and Myung-Whun Chung is far from just another recording of an already overworked piece. Instead, we are given a clean, dynamic sound that has a sense of ensemble and a flexibility of texture, making it by far one of the most exciting performances available on the market. Until now, my favourite interpretation was also that preferred by Messiaen; released in 1963 and still commercially available, it features Huguette Fernandez (piano), Guy Deplus (clarinet), Jacques Neilz (cello) and Marie-Madeleine Petit (piano) [Erato 2292-45505-2]. Theirs communicates the music in a similarly flexible manner, one in which Messiaen's complex counterpoints work with a degree of independence that is sadly lacking in many other interpretations. The present recording contains the same spirit, but more so. With an elasticity of ensemble, creating uniquely transparent textures, and a variable approach to individual instrumental timbres, we are provided with a kaleidoscope of colour, subtle shifts of mood and, at times, an unbearable impression of suspense. This is most evident in the slower movements, in particular the second (Vocalise, pour l'ange qui annonce la fin du temps), fifth (Louage à l'eternité de Jésus) and eighth (Louage à l'imortalité de Jésus), although in the latter, perhaps too much rhythmic leeway prevails. Although slower than the Erato recording, structure and shape pervade each movement. In the second, both Shaham and Wang make much use of vibrato as an interpretive tool, from which a feeling of warmth and colour penetrates the very soul of the music. Appropriately, in other places Shaham's approach is more mechanical, as in the first movement, where added violin glissandos, reminiscent of the metallic portamenti of the ondes-martenot, add to a subtly flexible portrayal of a cacophonous dawn chorus. The part requires little delicacy, and any attempt to do so might seriously hinder the aura of excitement and expectation. Particularly noticeable is Chung's sensitivity in the quieter passages, which, in the final movement, combines with a sense of direction, urgency and awareness of texture to drive the music forward and provide a luscious complement to the lofty heights of the violin part. Meyer's clarinet playing is outstanding: his monody, Abîme des oiseaux, is filled with a feeling of dreadful foreboding and, treating his instrument in an almost vocal manner, alters emphasis on the sustained high notes, blatantly altering timbres to give the impression of a change of word or syllable. The contrasting sections of birdsong are complemented by the extreme harshness of some of the sonorities Messiaen creates - there is nothing pretty about his aviary; instead it is full of ugliness, dark and sinister, a far cry from the warmer sound provided by Deplus's Erato performance.

Attractively packaged, with excellent insert notes that include an interview with Etienne Pasqier, the cellist at the first performance, this is an excellent recording of the highest musical standards and technical achievements.

Ian le Prévost