The Quatuor pour la fin du temps has been part of the European classical standard repertoire for several generations. For many classical musicians, the quartet is the most modern piece in their repertoire, perhaps representing a sort of culmination or conclusion for what came before it. For the Anzû Quartet, the Quatuor pour la fin du temps is the oldest piece in our repertoire, and we view it as a catalyst for much of the contemporary music we perform in 2025.

As time moves further away from 1941, Messiaen’s quartet and legacy has begun to acquire a similar patina to the great works and composers from centuries past. As is true with much of the standard repertoire, modern interpretations of the quartet are often colored by performance practices that, while not specified in the score, have accumulated over time. Our approach to the quartet deliberately eschews this accumulation, returning to the score as a primary source and emphasizing a renewed sense of rhythmic veracity. Through this approach, we aim to present the Quatuor pour la fin du temps as a vibrant work, as powerful today as it was in its original era.

In that spirit, we conclude with some words from a primary source and a significant inspiration for our own ensemble: Fred Sherry, the cellist of Tashi. A quartet specifically formed around the Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Tashi was an influential ensemble during the 1970s, renowned for their commissioning and commitment to modern music in the 20th century. Their 1976 recording of the Quatuor pour la fin du temps is among the most important recordings of Messiaen’s music and remains an interpretive standard to this day. Nearly five decades later, the Anzû Quartet has followed in these footsteps.

– Karl Larson

Thoughts about Quatuor pour la fin du temps

A number of Olivier Messiaen’s works have entered the standard repertoire: Oiseaux exotiques, Turangalîla-Symphonie, Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus, Des canyons aux étoiles..., and perhaps his best known work, Quatuor pour la fin du temps. Books have been written about the conditions surrounding the birth and first performance of Quatuor in 1941. Without claiming anything that could be easily disproved, I can tell you something about the seven hours we spent with Messiaen in the late 1970s, during which the master coached the group Tashi (Ida Kavafian, violin; Richard Stoltzman, clarinet; Peter Serkin, piano; and myself on cello). John and Anne Straus hosted the gathering, Catherine Gevers translated Messiaen’s French, and the Tashi members invited composer Toru Takemitsu to observe.

Messiaen told us about his experiences in a prisoner of war camp. We heard about the guard who gave him music paper and pencil, being allowed to play Quatuor for a gathering of prisoners and guards. Messiaen said the piano keys were functional; however, after they were struck, the page turner ran his hand under the keys in order that they could be struck again, and that the cello did not have a D string. There is one note written on that string in the score, so this claim is frequently challenged, but that single note (a G-sharp) can be played on the G string.

The composer shared details of how to approach the piece. I remember him telling Dick Stoltzman that the scary clarinet note in the third movement should sound like a scream. He liked the fourth movement to sound like a true light-hearted intermezzo (we interpreted it on the wrong side of décidé and played roughly). That movement ends with a long slide (glissando) and two plucked notes. I played the pizzicato notes piano as written, but Messiaen liked them fairly strong and twice as long as indicated in the score. So much for obeying what the composer wrote!

The only time Messiaen interrupted our playing was shortly after the beginning of the fifth movement which is marked infiniment lent, extatique (infinitely slow, ecstatic). This is challenging for the bow, but he allowed slurs to be broken up carefully. He insisted we obey the tempo marking: sixteenth note = 44 beats per minute. With four sixteenth notes to a quarter note (the rate of change in this movement) it equals eleven quarter note beats per minute. My right arm is still tired! (Not really.)

As the session continued, Messiaen began to speak more in English, and demonstrated at the piano. We all had lunch together, but he only drank ginger ale as his digestive tract never fully recovered after his release from the camp.

Toru Takemistu was painfully shy when meeting one of his only heroes. Later he wrote a concerto for Tashi called Quatrain which included material from Quatuor pour la fin du temps.

The Anzû Quartet has mastered Quatuor. Their fresh approach, virtuosity, and caring is up front. Behind that is private practice, a recognition of the qualities of the music, and a feeling for the musical relationships among the four players. Tashi played Quatuor hundreds of times and rehearsed it before 98% of the concerts. Anzû has carved out a spot for themselves with their committed and captivating performance of this work.

– Fred Sherry