A favorite Oliver Messiaen recording

Excellent question. I am partial to the solo organ works; my favorite being Marie-Claire Alain "La Nativite Du Seigneur" (1988 Erato). It has that etherial quality with multiple radical breaks into that 'the Divine glory' sound he does so well, like the skies are erupting and at any minute a horde of flaming angels will swoop down and saturate the earth with molten gold and feathers. It never does though!

I'm real fond of Chung/Bastille Opera Orchestra's Turangalilia, but my favorite is the Canyons des Etoile double disc set by Salonen and the London Sinfonietta.

Here is the big question: what "Quartet for the end of time" do you like best? There are so many great ones.

I agree, Chashmal--and I suppose that's what I'm really after. I have Ozawa/Toronto Symphony LP of Turangalilia that I like, so I thought there were other works/versions out there I might like, too.

But the big question is Quartet for the End of Time. I have a pristine Angel/Michel Berhoff that I like if only because its quiet and clean, but I don't know how it stacks up to other labels or perfomances.

Yes, I have the Berhoff too on vinyl, which is very emotive and quite articulate.

I also like the Eduard Brunner (on teldec) and the Walter Boeykens (on harmonia mundi) which I only have on CD, so I don't listen to them that much. The performances are outstanding and I am not really sure I have a clear cut favorite among the three. They all have about the same range. Not an extraordinarily different set of performances I think. All grade A, maybe not A+.

Quartet for the End of Time -- Tashi -- on RCA

Vingt Regards -- Pierre Laurent Aimard -- on Teldec

Angela Hewitt Plays Olivier Messiaen -- on Hyperion