It’s one of the greatest solo organ works ever composed. Messiaen’s  is a nine-movement depiction of the birth of Christ. These nine meditations are shot through with Catholic symbolism, contemplating each element of the Christmas story. Messiaen had recently assumed the post of ‘’ organist at La Trinité in Paris when the work was born. His association with the famous Cavaillé-Coll instrument there would endure for some sixty years until his death. He penned  near Grenoble in the summer of 1935, and the work received its premiere at La Trinité on 27 February 1936. Messiaen had in mind the rich orchestral sonorities of La Trinité’s magnificent organ when he conceived the work. [...]

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