Happy Birthday, Olivier Messiaen

Today in 1908, French composer Olivier Messiaen was born in Avignon. A professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, his special compositional voice was made all the more intriguing by his interest in birdsong. Transcribed birdsongs appeared in many of his works. Wind conductors should check out his 1956 work Oiseaux exotiques ("Exotic birds"). Written for solo piano and orchestral winds and percussion, this avant-garde composition weaves together various birdsongs in bright, crystalline colors. Check out this recording online!