Graffin, Neidich, Devoyon, Carr - Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Paul Hindemith: Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano

This CD released by Cobra Records combines two significant 20th-century chamber music works, both composed for the same rare instrumentation (clarinet, violin, cello, and piano). Olivier Messiaen's profound, Revelation-inspired Quatuor pour la fin du temps was created and premiered in a German prisoner-of-war camp in 1941, whereas Paul Hindemith's three-movement Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1938) represents the composer's neoclassical, Bach-influenced architectural style that eschews romantic expansion. The album's world-class musicians—Philippe Graffin, Charles Neidich, Pascal Devoyon, and Colin Carr—interpret both works masterfully, creating a striking contrast between Messiaen's timeless spirituality and Hindemith's rigorous formal structure.