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Gweneth Ann Rand with Simon Lepper | Photo: Marcus Roth

Messiaen’s song cycles are undoubtedly a feast of colour. For the soprano Gweneth Ann Rand, an opportunity to present the three of his song cycles for soprano and piano at the Aldeburgh Festival meant collaborating with an artist to interpret his unique tonal palette.

In comes British artist Rachel Jones, who becomes more prolific year on year. Commissioned by Rand to create painting animations to accompany the cycles, it became clear what Rand meant when she said of Jones’s work ‘I saw her paintings and I heard Messiaen’.

Rand and pianist Simon Lepper’s first recital presented the 12-song cycle Harawi - Chant d'amour et de mort ( Harawi - A Song of Love and Death) written in 1946 and inspired by inspired by the myth of Tristan and Iseult. Though written in French, the songs also include words in the Quechua languages of the central Andes Mountains in South America.

Jones’s art didn't necessarily fit a prior knowledge of Messiaen’s music, but revealed it from a new angle. Songs provided differing pace of animated movement, varieties of colours, textures and vibrancies, shown on a huge screen behind Rand and Lepper. Sometimes, the paintings and music flowed perfectly in time, and at other times they were brilliantly contrasted.

Rand has a command of the stage that allows Messiaen’s music to speak universally. A genius decision to bring the Britten Theatre into intimate darkness, withdrawing the element of ‘recital’ and creating a new space, somewhere between gallery, meditation, planetarium and dream.

Between them, Rand and Lepper have a captivating synergy. Rhythmic precision radiated in the onomatopoeic ‘Dondou tchil’, with ‘Syllabes' inhabiting a tangible grief. Rand is a terrific risk taker, never sacrificing beauty, but not afraid to bring out an edgier, harsher tone when needed.

My instinct was to move between the usual place I go in recitals - internally, with my eyes closed - to focusing on the animation, challenging my sense of comfort.

If the Messiaen cycles weren’t such a tall order, I would demand this terrific show to go on tour. I certainly hope it paves the way for further collaborations between Rand and Jones.

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