"From the canyons to the stars..."

Des canyons aux étoiles... (From the canyons to the stars...) is a large twelve-movement orchestral work by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. American Alice Tully commissioned the piece in 1971 to celebrate the bicentenary of the United States Declaration of Independence. In 1972, while preparing the work, Messiaen visited Utah, where he was inspired by the birds and the landscape, particularly at colourful Bryce Canyon (Messiaen had sound-colour synaesthesia). It received its premiere in 1974. Performances of the work can have a duration in the range of 90 to 100 minutes.