Quartet for the End of Time

Listening to Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time in Storkyrkan on Holocaust Memorial Day is an experience marked by both historical memory and spiritual presence. The work was composed during the darkest years of the war, when Messiaen, a prisoner of war in Stalag VIII A in Görlitz, met three fellow musicians – a violinist, a cellist, and a clarinetist. With himself at the piano, he wrote a quartet that was premiered before 400 prisoners and guards on January 15, 1941. Messiaen later recalled that no audience had ever listened with such concentration.

The piece draws its inspiration from the tenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where the angel proclaims that “there shall be time no longer.” The music unites visions of eternity and stillness with an almost ecstatic richness of color, characteristic of Messiaen’s musical language.

In the space of Storkyrkan, this work gains even greater resonance: a testimony to the power of creation in the midst of human suffering, and a reminder of hope, faith, and spiritual endurance. On this memorial day, it resonates as a musical meditation on both the wounds of history and the light that, against all odds, continues to shine through the darkness.

Tale Olsson violin
Ulrika Edström cello
Stefan Harg clarinet
Mats Jansson piano
Mattias Wager organ
Kristina Ljunggren narrator
Björn Wiman & Sylvain Briens speakers

ur programmet
Olivier Messiaen Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
Olivier Messiaen Les mains de l’abîme ur Livre d’orgue

Age limit: 6 years and older
Ticket prices: 180 SEK (unreserved seating), discounts available for seniors, children/youth/students

Please note that large bags, backpacks, suitcases, and strollers are not allowed in the church!