In the middle of the icy snow the music proved its power: 5,000 people were lifted ‘from their misery’ by Messiaen’s musical fantasy and for 50 minutes forgot about themselves. With this work he evoked the image of an angel with a face like a sun, feet like columns of fire and with a rainbow round his head, who raised his hand saying: “Time shall be no more”. 
With special tone colours Messiaen creates a surrealistic world. Powerful but also subdued music seems to stop the perception of time and perhaps will carry away the listener now just like then, as Messiaen says, ”to wondrous visions of peace…”
With the cooperation of Arno van Houtert