Warner Classics: 1136996432

“This CD features the first release of performances of short works by Messiaen, all of them rarities, except for Le merle noir. Messiaen wrote La morte du nombre for soprano, tenor, violin, and piano in 1929 while he was a student at the Paris Conservatory. It's a serene, gorgeous, sensuous piece that deserves to be more widely known. Offrande au Saint Sacrament, for organ, is undated, but probably written soon after La morte du nombre in a similar mood of quiet radiance. It's typical of the style of the composer's organ works of the early '30s -- harmonically and melodically rich, emotionally warm, and rhythmically irregular. Quatre Inédits for Ondes Martenot and piano sound like absolutely nothing else in the world…it's revelatory to hear it highlighted as it is here - the sounds of which it's capable and which the composer adroitly exploits are stunning. The album closes with Chant des Déportés, for chorus and orchestra, written in celebration of the liberation of prisoners from concentration camps in 1945. It's distinctly Messiaen, but at the same time rousingly patriotic - the choral parts are unison and relatively simple, probably intended for community choruses rather than professionals - and the effect is genuinely gripping. Any fan of the composer will want to hear these obscure but attractive pieces.”

Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide