Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) La Fête des Belles Eaux World Premier Recording! Ensemble d'Ondes de Montréal Jean Laurendeau • Estelle Lemire • Suzanne Binet-Audet Geneviève Grenier • Louise Larose • Marie Bernard ACD2 2621 • ATMA Classique continues its celebration the Olivier Messiaen centenary with previously unrecorded music for six Ondes Martenot, as well as unpublished works for Ondes and piano. • This release also marks the 80th anniversary of the Ondes Martenot, which was invented in 1928. ATMA has a special edge in recording this music: Johanne Goyette, founder, owner, president, and chief producer for ATMA is a graduate of the Montréal Conservatory in Ondes Martenot, which she describes as “a kind of dinosaur - but still living.” • Yes, there are six Ondes Martenot in Montréal! (In fact, there are at least seven: Johanne also has one.) Montreal is a bit of an Ondes Martenot hot-bed. There is a resurgence of interest in the instrument at the moment, and the Ensemble d'ondes de Montreal consists of six professional Ondes Martenot players. • The most famous role for the Ondes Martenot is in the Turangalîla Symphony. Messiaen also used three Ondes in his late opera Saint-François d'Assise.) • La Fête des Belles Eaux was written for the Paris International Exhibition of Arts and Technology in 1937, and accompanied a 'son et lumière' show; you could think of it a Republican Fireworks Music! We don't know of any important versions of this in the current catalogue. The Quatre Feuillets Inédits is a world premier recording. • An oddity is included as a bonus in our celebration of the Ondes Martenot: the first movement of Ravel's String Quartet played by four Ondes. Ravel heard his quartet played by Ondes, and said “that is the way I was hearing it in my dreams.” • Produced, recorded and edited by Johanne Goyette at the Salle Pierre-Mercure (Centre Pierre-Péladeau) Montréal (Québec), Canada, September 8-11, 2008. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) La Fête des Belles Eaux pour sextuor d'ondes martenot   1. Premières fusées     2:50   2. L'eau     3:01   3. Les fusées     1:16   4. L'eau     10:01   5. Les fusées     1:40   6. L'eau     9:27   7. Superposition de l'eau et des fusées     1:40   8. Feu d'artifice final     5:19 Feuillets Inédits quatre pieces pour ondes Martenot et piano Louise Bessette, piano Estelle Lemire, Ondes Martenot   9. Presque lent et berceur     1:59 10. Lent     2:31 11. Bien Modéré     3:55 12. Lent     2:54 Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Quator à Cordes en fa Majeur | String Quartet in F Major 13. 1st movement - Allegro moderato     8:30 Ensemble d'Ondes de Montréal ATMA Classique is distributed in Australia by Rockian Trading PO Box 44, Briar Hill, Vic, 3088, Australia Telephone +61 (0)3 9432 4149 ~ Facsimile +61 (0)3 9444 6879