Manchester Collective: The End of Time by Jr., N. M., Shaw, C., Chopin, Messiaen, Od (2023/2023), Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, United Kingdom

If you had to pick a single musical work to reflect the energy, chaos and trauma of the 20th century, you could do a lot worse than Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’. This is chamber music at its most dramatic and unfiltered. Messiaen’s transcendental quartet was written in 1941, while the composer was interned at a Nazi prisoner of war camp. It was premiered by fellow inmates to an audience of about 400 prisoners and guards, outside, in the rain. Messiaen later said of the premiere: “Never was I listened to with such rapt attention and comprehension”. To perform this harrowing epic, the Collective are joined by musical treasure Kathryn Stott on the piano. Kathy, perhaps best known for her celebrated collaborations with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, will perform Caroline Shaw’s exquisite ‘Gustav le Gray’ alongside the Chopin mazurka that inspired the piece. If you’re familiar with this work, you know what all the fuss is about. If it’s your first time – you’ve got a hell of a ride ahead of you.