In this imaginatively constructed programme, the Swedish pianist Fredrik Ullén juxtaposes music by Liszt and Messiaen, showing that there are closer parallels between them than might be expected.

A significant role in both composers’ work was played by religious convictions, and three of the Liszt pieces included here are related to saints of the Catholic Church.

Both men also ventured into unexplored musical territory, with Messiaen exploring bird song (which he described as an expression of ‘religious joy’) and Hindu rhythms, for instance in Cantéyodjayâ. Meanwhile, Liszt in his later years would develop an austere musical style full of dissonance, whole-tone scales, diminished and augmented chords. One of the prime examples of this is Unstern! Sinistre, disastro.