Vingt Regards is by far the largest scale work in the piano repertoire. Yvonne Loriod’s place in musical history would have been assured by the simple fact that she gave the work’s premiere – in liberated Paris – in March 1945. But she had also directly inspired the work: the already celebrated (though emaciated) composer – recently repatriated from a prisoner of war camp in Silesia – and the young virtuoso pianist had fallen in love the moment they met in 1941. And this mammoth cycle is only one among numerous marvellous works, many involving ensemble or orchestra, which Messiaen composed specifically for her - and dedicated to her - across the span of his career. His response to her extraordinary playing produced one of the most original styles in all keyboard music, ranging from cascades of iridescent harmony to the most complex rhythms, from pounding percussive figuration to the ecstatic brilliance of birdsong. This quite simply marks her out as one of the great muses in the history of classical music. But beyond this, she had a very wide repertoire – ranging from Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Albeniz and Debussy to the most adventurous composers of her day, whom she defended with courage and loyalty. She was also an utterly devoted pedagogue and, indeed, my own piano teacher for two years at the Paris Conservatoire, so I can personally testify to the passionate dedication she showed her students, which matched the most demanding artistic standards with an almost maternal tenderness.
It is, I believe, not an exaggeration to claim her as one of the outstanding musicians of our era; remembering in particular that she and Messiaen visited Ojai together a quarter-century ago, Tom Morris and I have decided to dedicate the upcoming performance of Vingt Regards to her memory.
-- George Benjamin, 19 May 2010
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