Messiaen Quartet for the end of time

The Emerald Quartet
Jacqui Miles
Dan Mort
Emma Chamberlain
Jacob Rainbow

Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time (1940–41) is an eight‑movement chamber work for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, premiered on 15 January 1941 at Stalag VIII‑A in Görlitz, where Messiaen was held as a prisoner of war. The unusual instrumentation—clarinet, violin, cello, and piano—reflected the musicians available in the camp. The work lasts about 50 minutes and is considered one of Messiaen’s most significant compositions.

Fellow prisoners Henri Akoka (clarinet), Jean le Boulaire (violin), and Étienne Pasquier (cello) became the original performers.
The premiere took place on 15 January 1941 before roughly 400 prisoners and guards.

The work contains eight movements, each with symbolic or biblical associations drawn from the Book of Revelation:

Crystal Liturgy – flowing, mystical textures.
Vocalise for the Angel Announcing the End of Time – dramatic, fragmented gestures.
Abyss of the Birds – clarinet solo evoking vast stillness.
Interlude – light, dance‑like character.
Praise to the Eternity of Jesus – slow, meditative cello–piano duet.
Dance of Fury, for the Seven Trumpets – driving, rhythmic unison writing.
Tangle/Cluster of Rainbows – luminous harmonies and shifting colors.
In Praise of the Immortality of Jesus – serene, ascending violin lines.