Michael Symmons Roberts Quartet for the End of Time : On Music, Grief & Birdsong

Wonderful SpectatorThis is a remarkable book TLSA personal reckoning with grief, doubt, faith and poetry set to one of the most celebrated musical works of the twentieth century, from the awardwinning poet and librettist. Strange, ecstatic and apocalyptic listeners of Olivier Messiaens masterpiece, Quartet for the End of Time, have been captivated by its music and mythology since the first extraordinary performance in a prisoner of war camp in 1941.After discovering his music by chance as a teenager, Michael Symmons Robertss own fascination with the Quartet leads him on a quest to understand its enigmatic power. What follows is a moving, unforgettable exploration of grief, of personal faith and doubt, of the end of time and what may lie beyond it. A rich, lively, profound book Rowan WilliamsAn outstanding writer Sunday Times | Michael Symmons Roberts Quartet for the End of Time : On Music, Grief & Birdsong