The CD I have is of the 1991 EMI France digital transfer. If that's the one you have, try 2'03" into the Coda for a dodgy edit. There are others, but that's the one I noticed again just now, when letting the CD run on after sampling the notorious Épode. I think the Dorati rather outshines the January 1999 Andrew Davis performance in that movement.

I am rather amused to think back to the 17 year old who eagerly bought the original LP on its release, mainly for the Boulez Le Soleil des eaux, and felt a bit cheated that the Messiaen was conducted by Dorati, rather than by Boulez.

Isn't that disc's transfer of the Koechlin seriously dodgy, too? I have the LP and didn't pick up the CD in time, but the Les Bandar-Log from it was broadcast recently and sounded very nasty in places: can you confirm that, Bryn?

What about when it comes back towards the end, then?!

I'm unfortunately not quite able to cope all that well with either Harawi - unfortunately Yakar gets a bit squally (at least as recorded there) from time to time and while Command tends not to she also for example sings a quite resplendent top si bémol at the climax where a top si bécarre is very much required. For all its faults I still listen most to the live recording with Bunlet and Messiaen... I mean I have to listen to something since it's one of my very favourite Messiaen pieces (and Messiaen in turn one of my very favourite composers). I do urge present company not to give up on it on the basis of one performance.

The range isn't all that exceptional for a Wagner soprano (low Bb to high B natural, often quite low-lying but with some high bits both loud (not so tricky for most singers) and quiet/sustained (very damn hard indeed)). Just that they tend not to be interested in this sort of thing.

That viola solo (Prologue) was what first drew me to Grisey - but in the version with rather a lot of reverb, without the rest of the cycle hanging off it. I wonder if the extra atmosphere makes a difference.

My main problem with it is you wouldn't be able to tell which language it was in if you didn't already know.

There's one very clear thread, which is that those you like are instrumental and those you don't both have voices!

I think you would certainly like the Turangalîla-Symphonie and you would probably like Des canyons aux étoiles... which is my personal favourite as I'm always saying, Couleurs de la cité céleste, Sept Haïkaï, Concert á quatre, Visions de l'amen and the rest of Catalogue d'Oiseaux. My experience with Transfiguration was that when I first heard it, when the Decca double LP came out, whenever that was, it seemed to consist of some beautiful moments t which I had to fight my way through a lot of turgid stuff to get to. However it grew on me in the course of time and I now almost regret that it isn't even longer than it is. Nevertheless if I were pushed I'd probably say I preferred his instrumental pieces to the vocal ones too, maybe because all of his music is trying to gain access to something for which words are inadequate.

Once you get through all those you might like also to have a go at his organ music. For many years the only organ piece of his I had time for was the Méditations... but more recently I realise I was missing out on a great deal, particularly the two most "abstract" pieces Livre d'orgue and Messe de la Pentecôte.