Olivier Messiaen was a towering figure in 20th-century music, and for many years he considered Les Corps glorieux the favourite of his own works. It is recognised as the pinnacle of his pre-war organ compositions, vividly depicting the themes of resurrection through deeply expressive symbolism, life and death struggles and ecstatic joy. Ten years later the Messe de la Pentecôte marked a departure in style, drawing on Messiaen's liturgical improvisations and crystallising his latest rhythmic and serial techniques and use of birdsong into a ground-breaking masterpiece.