Olivier Messiaen wrote his Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time) during 1940–41 while he was a prisoner-of-war in Germany. Its visionary music – alternately dramatic and serene – shows that sublime art can be created in even the most adverse circumstances. Its 1941 premiere deeply moved Messiaen’s fellow prisoners. He wrote later that ‘Never was I listened to with such rapt attention and comprehension’. Highlights include vivid evocations of birdsong, a wild dance representing the apocalypse, and the ecstatic conclusion, of which the composer wrote ‘it is all love’.

The programme will also feature two adventurous dance-infused sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe, performed by virtuoso violinist Roman Simovic.

Supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown together with Flure Grossart