Widely regarded as one of the greatest chamber music masterpieces of the 20th century, Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time will be performed by Ensemble Contrechamps at the MIR as part of the temporary exhibition Apocalypses. What Did You See in Hiroshima? (running until January 11, 2026).
Composed in 1941 under extreme deprivation while Messiaen was a prisoner of war in Silesia, the work is directly inspired by the Apocalypse of Saint John — one of the few books Messiaen was allowed to keep, thanks to a German officer who also provided him with manuscript paper and pencils.
