Quartet for the End of Time

Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1941) Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
I. 
II. Liturgie de cristal
III. Vocalise, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du temps
IV. Abîme des oiseaux
V. Intermède
VI. Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus
VII. Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes
VIII. Fouillis d’arcs-en-ciel, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du temps
IX. Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus

Louis Arques, clarinet; Alexander Goldberg, violin; Allen Liang, cello; Joseph Vaz, piano

Program Notes
What is the color of reverence? Of sublimity? Today, we are accustomed to treat the sacred in monochrome. The dying goes towards a white light; as Spengler memorably said, the Gothic cathedral’s ceiling fades to black void when viewed from the pew. But the medievals had quite different tastes. Stained glass cast technicolor shadows; books’ spines were studded with garish stones.
Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time feels like a reinjection of color into the monochrome of a modern devotional poise. Written in the deprivation of a prison camp, much of it was penned in a latrine he was able to access secretly and on pages supplied by a sympathetic guard. This piece imbues Messiaen’s deep Catholicism with birdsong, dance, and his idiosyncratic rhythmic and melodic modes.
The work is organized into eight movements, paralleling the seven days of creation, with the “seventh day of this repose extend[ed] into eternity to “become[] the eighth day of eternal light, of unalterable peace.” Below are Messiaen’s own notes on the movements, as translated by Rebecca Rischin:
1. “Crystal Liturgy.” Between 3 and 4 o’clock in the morning, the birds awaken: a solo blackbird or nightingale improvises, surrounded by dust whirls of sound, by a halo of harmonics lost high up in the trees. Transpose this onto a religious plane: you have the harmonious silence of heaven.
2. “Vocalize, for the Angel Who Announces the End of Time.” The first and third sections (both very brief) evoke the power of this mighty angel, crowned with a rainbow and clothed in a cloud, who places one foot on the sea and the other on the land. The “middle” [second section] evokes the impalpable harmonies of heaven. In the piano: gentle cascades of blue orange chords, encircling with their distant carillon the plainchant-like song of the violin and cello.
3. “Abyss of the Birds.” Unaccompanied clarinet. The abyss is Time, with its weariness and gloom. The birds are the opposite of Time; they represent our longing for light, for stars, for rainbows, and for jubilant song!
4. “Interlude.” Scherzo, in a more outgoing character than the other movements, yet related to them nevertheless by melodic “recalls.”
5. “Praise to the Eternity of Jesus.” Here, Jesus is considered the Word of God. A long phrase in the cello, inexorably slow, glorifies, with adoration and reverence, the eternity of this mighty yet gentle Word, “of which the ages never tire.” The melody unfolds majestically, as if from a regal yet soft-colored horizon. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
6. “Dance of Fury, for the Seven Trumpets.” Rhythmically, the most characteristic movement of this series. The four instruments in unison create the effect of gongs and trumpets (the first six trumpets of the Apocalypse followed by various calamities, the trumpet of the seventh angel announcing the fulfillment of the mystery of God). Use of added values, augmentation and diminution, and non-retrogradable rhythms. Music of stone, tremendous ringing granite; perpetual motion of steel, of enormous blocks of purple fury, of frozen intoxication. Listen, above all, to the terrifying fortissimo of the theme in augmentation and register alteration toward the end of the movement.
7. “Tangle of Rainbows, for the Angel Who Announces the End of Time.” Certain passages here recall the second movement. The Angel full of might appears, and in particular the rainbow that crowns him (the rainbow, symbol of peace, of wisdom, and of every luminous sound and vibration). In my dreams, I hear and see classified chords and melodies, common colors and forms; then, after this transitory stage, I pass into unreality and lose myself in a rapture to a whirling, a gyrating fusion of superhuman sound and color. These swords of fire, these pools of blue-orange lava, these shooting stars: this is the tangled skein, these are the rainbows!
8. “Praise to the Immortality of Jesus.” Long solo for violin, the counterpart to the cello solo in the fifth movement. Why this second eulogy? It addresses more specifically the second aspect of Jesus: Jesus the Man, the Word made flesh, immortally resurrected, to impart us his life. This movement is pure love. The progressive ascent toward the extremely high register represents the ascension of man toward his Lord, of the son of God toward his Father, of deified Man toward Paradise.
The combination results in a sort of hyperreal version of familiar structures: baroque dances and religious plainchant become illuminated by neon, instead of candlelight. Notes by A. F. Goldberg

Biographies
Louis Arques is a clarinet virtuoso, saxophonist, singer, and conductor. One of the New York city’s most in-demand artists, he performs classical and contemporary music, Brazilian, AfroCuban, jazz and early music on period instruments. A strong advocate for contemporary music, he has facilitated and participated in numerous commissioned works by American and European composers.
As an international soloist, he performs concerti with orchestras, including Mikolaj Gorecki Trio Concerto (Avalanche Orchestra), Winton Marsalis Blues (Cornell Wind Symphony), Mozart Clarinet Concerto (Empire State Symphony), Debussy Clarinet Rhapsody (Camerata New York) and Zych Bass Clarinet concerto (Paris Ostinato Orchestra). His passion for orchestral playing is showcased as principal clarinet of the Avalanche Orchestra, Brooklyn Orchestra, Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra of Brooklyn and visiting soloist with the Miami New World Symphony. To present in tandem classical and contemporary music to younger audiences, he founded and conducted the orchestra NewOrch, co-directed Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra, and is currently the founder and director of Avalanche Orchestra and the co-director of Brooklyn Orchestra.
A sought-after itinerant chamber music collaborator, he has performed with the internationally acclaimed Quintet of the Americas and select soloists from Metropolis Ensemble. He concertizes frequently with pianists Vladimir Rumyantsev (US, American Ballet Theater) and Nima Sarkechik (France), with whom he recorded a CD of the Brahms Sonatas. In 2020, he joined harpist Bridget Kibbey trio’s touring project entitled Bach to Brazil with Latin Grammy awardee percussionist Samuel Torres.
His natural affinity for Brazilian and Latin rhythms led to the co-founding of Diálogos Duo with guitarist-composer Richard Boukas in 2016. The duo has two independently released CDs acclaimed by the Clarinet journal, Choro Tributes and Homages to Brazilian masters, and Boukas’ works for the Duo represent the largest body of contemporary repertoire for clarinet and guitar. Louis is also regular member of the Afro-Cuban band Sonido Costeño and the Palomonte AfroCuban Big Band.
Currently, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the City University of New York (studying privately with Charles Neidich), he taught in France for ten years (including Paris Conservatoire), joined the faculty of the Diller-Quaile School of Music to teach clarinet and saxophone in 2019, and was visiting Clarinet Faculty at Ithaca College and Saxophone Faculty at Cornell University this Spring of 2022. Louis is a Vandoren artist.

Alexander Franco Goldberg is a dynamic American-Italian violinist praised for his "fierce and sensitive" performances, with a unique ability to "tie music to larger aesthetic and literary concerns that illuminate his artistry." Alexander is passionate about linking music with literature, poetry, and visual arts.
He is currently pursuing his doctorate at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York under the mentorship of Mark Steinberg. His prior studies include training with Salvatore Accardo at the Stauffer Center for Strings in Cremona and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. He recently completed his Master’s in Violin Performance at the Yale School of Music, studying with Ani Kavafian, where, through Yale’s BA/MM dual-degree program, he also graduated cum laude with a BA in Philosophy.
At Yale, Alexander was awarded both the Head of College Cup for "outstanding scholarly achievement and creative promise," and the Selden Award for his "verve, idealism, and constructive interest in music and the humanities." His dedication to blending musical performance with academic inquiry, recognized by a Fulbright Research Fellowship, continues through his work as an Assistant Researcher at the University of Padua’s Centro di Sonologia Computazionale.
Alexander won first place at the William Waite Concerto Competition at Yale, where he performed Brahms' Violin Concerto with the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He has also earned first prizes in a number of concerto competitions, allowing him to perform as a soloist with various Boston orchestras in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, and Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy. Additionally, Alex won first prize at the Maria Labia, Vittorio Vitti, Città D'Alessandria violin competitions, as well as the Reate Festival International Contemporary Music competition, and second place at the inaugural Grunewald International Competition in Berlin.
Chamber music forms a core part of Alexander’s musical identity. He has studied and performed at the Taos School of Music, Geneva International String Academy, Aspen Music Festival, and Music@Menlo. His collaborative projects have included performances with members of the Borromeo, Aviv, and Alban Berg string quartets, as well as Peter Bruns, Patrick Gallois, Giuseppe Ettorre, Ivo Nilsson, and Franco Petracchi. He is also a member of the Accademia Chigiana’s Chigiana Chamber Ensemble and was honored to return to Taos to perform quartets alongside Nina Lee of the Brentano Quartet during an outreach tour of New Mexico.
Committed to exploring contemporary music, Alexander was a member of the Lucerne Festival’s Contemporary Academy and has played with Gilles Apap on the stage of the Kronberg Academy’s Casals Forum. As the winner of the Reate Festival International Contemporary Music Competition, he performed a program of Bach and Berio in their 2023 concert series, in addition to lecturing at their educational outreach event, Progetto Scuole.
Recent performance highlights include soloist performances at the Berliner Philharmonie with the Geringas Chamber Orchestra, at Woolsey Hall with the Yale Philharmonia and the Yale Symphony Orchestra; chamber music engagements at Santa Fe Pro Musica; and recitals at Stanford University’s CCRMALive concert series, Venice’s Prigioni palace, and at Boston’s Jordan Hall for NPR.
He was selected by the Fondazione Accademia Musicale Chigiana di Siena to be part of the Giovani Talenti Musicali Italiani nel Mondo project, an initiative established in collaboration with Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale and CIDIM - Comitato Nazionale Italiano Musica, and in 2024 to be a founding member of the Chigiana Chamber Ensemble.

Taiwanese cellist Allen Liang has established a dynamic and multifaceted musical career in Taiwan and the United States, captivating audiences as a soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble player. Beyond performance, his passion for Concert Music extends to composition and arrangement, showcasing his versatility and artistic depth. Allen premiered The Heart is Deeper than the Ocean by Silkroad Ensemble member Angel Lam at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, sharing the stage with pipa virtuoso Wu Man and pianist Melvin Chen. In addition, Allen has expressed his creative voice through his compositions such as the Suite for Cello and Piano (2023), Three Pieces for Solo Cello (2024), Morning Music (2025), and his arrangements for 12 cellos, including Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, Dvorak’s Silent Woods, and Debussy’s La Mer.
As a soloist, Allen has performed Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor with the Eastman Philharmonia and Boccherini’s Cello Concerto in G major, G. 480 with the Colburn Music Academy Virtuosi Orchestra. His versatility across musical styles earned him a finalist spot in the 2022 Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition. As an orchestral cellist, he has made an appearance in the cello sections of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Classical Players, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and the Taiwan Connection Chamber Orchestra.
A passionate chamber musician, Allen received the bronze medal in the Junior Division of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Aurielle Quartet. He has participated in numerous prestigious festivals, including Music@Menlo’s International Program, where he worked intensively with artists such as David Finckel, Wu Han, Gilbert Kalish, and Kristin Lee. Allen’s chamber musicianship has also flourished at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Taos School of Music, Heifetz International Music Institute, Taipei Music Academy & Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. He has worked with esteemed members of quartets including the Borromeo, Brentano, Calidore, Dover, Emerson, Shanghai, St. Lawrence, and Ying Quartets.
A two-time recipient of the Chimei Arts Award, Allen is currently pursuing his DMA at the CUNY Graduate Center under the tutelage of Mark Steinberg. He earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Paul Watkins, and a bachelor’s degree with High Distinction from the Eastman School of Music, where he trained with Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliott and minored in Linguistics. Prior to that, he studied with Clive Greensmith at the Colburn Academy. Allen’s diverse interests and curiosity continue to inspire his growth as a versatile and thoughtful artist.

Pianist Joseph Vaz has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician across North America and Europe, in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Arnold Schönberg Center in Vienna.
Born in Faro, Portugal, Joseph now lives in New York City, where he is completing a doctorate at the CUNY Graduate Center. Vaz has studied with renowned performers and pedagogues, including Julian Martin, Ran Dank, and Emile Naoumoff. He is a laureate of several national and international competitions, with recent appearances at the Pacific Stars International (2nd Prize), James Mottram International Piano Competition, and the Wideman Piano Concerto Competition.
Joseph frequently performs at international festivals, including recent appearances at the Gilmore Piano Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Lucerne Festival Academy, and Aspen Music Festival. Joseph has performed for several acclaimed artists and pedagogues, including Byron Janis, Gabriela Montero, Jerome Lowenthal, Jon Nakamatsu, and Ursula Oppens. His orchestral debut came with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in 2015, and he has also performed as soloist with Harmonia Orchestra Seattle, the Seven Hills Sinfonietta and other orchestral ensembles.
Joseph is an avid chamber musician and has performed with multiple orchestras and choirs for operas and concert programs. He is a proponent of new music, working closely with several composers on pieces for world premieres. Interested in many genres of music-making, Joseph enjoys working in contemporary music ensembles, musical theater, and popular music. Outside of music, he holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in French from Indiana University, and loves reading modernist literature.


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