"[An] excellent biography. . . . Sholl packs into 256 dense pages a narrative and analysis that ranges from the personal to the philosophical. . . . The biography extends across theology, philosophy and psychoanalysis as well as music analysis and interpretation. . . . It's the best biography of Messiaen thus far, and one of the most rewarding of any modern composer."-- "The Wire"
"The distinguished academic and organ recitalist Sholl succeeds most admirably in creating a valid and enriching synthesis of these diverse elements. Primarily this is a fully comprehensive and rigorously concentrated musicological account of the composer's development, bringing welcome fresh insights to his varied oeuvre. Technical aspects, inevitably complex, are explained as lucidly as possible. . . . Most welcome is the proper attention to the organ works, treated very properly on an equal footing with the piano, orchestral and vocal compositions. At the same time, a remarkably coherent and consistent integration of the musical dimension, with well selected biographical and essential extra-musical contextual aspects, is achieved, bringing out the meaning of the music that lies beyond and justifies its technical explorations. Sholl's assiduous researches draw on wide-ranging source materials, including an extensive bibliography and filmography, conversations with Messiaen, numerous academic articles, contemporary critical commentaries and correspondences. A particularly distinctive feature of this book is the author's use of psychoanalytic concepts to further elucidate the composer's creative thought and sensibility."-- "Musical Times"
"Sholl's new biography of Messiaen eschews a day-by-day, what-happened-next approach to chronicling the composer's life. Instead, Sholl takes a more selective approach, focusing on key people, events and influences in the composer's world. . . . Much of Sholl's succinct, penetrating commentary is immediately accessible to the general reader. . . . Read Sholl to drill down further into the music, where he is undoubtedly an authoritative guide."-- "BBC Music"
"This is a thoroughly refreshing and original evaluation of Messiaen--both the man and his music--that should appeal to anyone wanting to know more about this endlessly fascinating composer, and also to specialists looking for new perspectives on his music, drawing on a wealth of hitherto unknown material. . . . Anyone wanting a concise introduction to Messiaen's fascinating life and music will find much to enjoy here--buoyed by Sholl's own enthusiasm, which is always in evidence--but this is also a book that includes important new research, lending it a lasting significance to specialists, too. I recommend it most warmly."-- "Gramophone"
"Messiaen is a ripe subject for study. . . . Now Sholl, a professor of music at the University of West London who also teaches at the Royal Academy of Music has given us a slim, smart and sympathetic volume titled Olivier Messiaen: A Critical Biography. . . . [Messiaen's] classes, like his personality, were unconventional and embraced not only the masterpieces of traditional Western music and the European avant-garde but also Greek meters, Hindu rhythms and birdsong. Sholl is marvelous on the last of these. . . . Once acclimated to Messiaen's idiosyncratic sound world, readers will find Sholl's book a sensitive and knowing companion."--Tim Page "Wall Street Journal"
"Sholl has distilled many years of scholarship and contemplation into a book that is compact yet capacious, brimming with information and insight. The crisp narrative provides vivid descriptions of cultural and intellectual contexts, including a breathtaking panoply of influences, both his own mentors as well as those he mentored. Sholl's trademark intertextual methodology seamlessly interweaves materials drawn from a broad horizon of sources, including history, musicology, literature, visual arts, history, philosophy, theology, and psychoanalysis. This brilliant achievement synthesizes scholarship from yesterday and up to the present moment. It is now the point of departure for any future adventures into Messiaen's idiosyncratic universe."--Stephen Schloesser, professor of history, Loyola University Chicago
"Sholl's book, the fruit of many years of research, undoubtedly has a great future. Its panoramic view of Messiaen's life constitutes a way of discovering Messiaen for those unfamiliar with his work and offers much to music lovers who will find, through his synthesis of material, unpublished information and photos. This book has allowed me to rediscover the Messiaen that I knew, but also to encounter an unknown Messiaen. May everyone have as much pleasure reading this book as I have!"--Olivier Latry, titular organist of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris and professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoire
"Sholl's new biography of Messiaen sheds fresh light on the extraordinary originality of his music. Among the wealth of fascinating detail much comes from the composer himself, as well as from his teachers, contemporaries, pupils, and from those who have studied, researched, and performed his music. Sholl's commentaries on the music are acutely perceptive--and as a bonus to this rich feast the photographs are marvelous."--Peter Hill, emeritus professor of music, University of Sheffield, and coauthor of "Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques"
"Sholl's critical biography is enhanced by his skillful use of musical, theological, philosophical and aesthetic details regarding Messiaen's life and work, and further enriched by the inclusion of previously unexplored material from Messiaen's archives. After situating the composer in the cultural milieu of the 1930s, Sholl dedicates chapters to essential elements of Messiaen's multifarious career as composer, teacher, theologian and ornithologist. Writing with clarity and insight, Sholl has provided a readable and engaging contribution to understanding the complicated life and work of one of the twentieth century's most important figures. Highly recommended."--Andrew Shenton, professor of music, Boston University