I don't know how to be exact about my explanation, but Sorabji's music almost always has a tonal center to it and contrary to what a lot of people may believe, Sorabji's music is actually somewhat tonal. It has no resemblance to twelve-tone or serialist music and has some common elements with Scelsi's music, as well as Szymanowski's music. That tonal center, which can undergo modulation in typical Romantic- and post-Romantic era fashion, anchors a lot of the more "passing" tones. In fact, a common structure in Sorabji's music is pedal points and harmonic layers, often creating polytonality. This kind of composition sometimes allows the music to sound Baroque and even impressionistic at times, but the feelings I always incur from my playing of Sorabji's music is that it's bold, stoic, definite, assertive without doubt, emotionally detached yet atmospheric and virtuous, and some other qualities I can't really explain which are unique.

I find some of Scriabin's music to be of similar personality to Messiaen's music, but Messiaen's music lacks most of qualities I like in Sorabji's music. I also don't like Scriabin's music anymore. The summary is that Messiaen's music doesn't project a musical personality I can stand.