OLIVER MESSIAEN’S La Nativite de Seigneur, partly inspired by the play of light through the stained glass of Europe’s cathedrals, was given a scintillating reading by Durham Cathedral’s suborganist Francesca Massey.

Translated as The Birth of the Saviour, the work comprises nine meditations, each portraying an aspect of Christ’s birth.

Playing on the cathedral’s mighty Harrison & Harrison organ, Massey held a small audience enraptured throughout, with a stunning command of the full breadth and depth of the score’s vaulting tonal palette.

A reflective opening, Virgin and Child, was followed by the cooling registers of The Shepherds, which vividly evoked their reverential steps through the snow.

An almost static Eternal Purposes enveloped the acoustic space in a halo of warmth, while the full power of the cathedral’s organ was unleashed in the ecstatic outbursts of The Word; the thundering pedal melody resonating to the core.

Massey nursed the movement’s expansive section, imbuing it with a profound sense of calm. The ensuing Children of God featured a dazzling display of spirited staccato chords.

A highlight was Massey’s rendition of The Angels, with their fluttering wings conjured up in shimmering trills.

The darkest movement of the work, Jesus accepts Suffering, looks ahead to his Crucifixion, with the cruel hammering of nails on the cross conveyed in dissonant chords.

Massey invested the final bars of the meditation, depicting His rising to meet the Father, with a transcendental beauty. The climactic God Among Us, with its swirling kaleidoscope of colour was awe-inspiring. Agnostic or not, one could not fail to be spiritually moved.

One can only encourage more people to attend future organ recitals at Durham Cathedral.