Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie

by Cecile Lartigau, Boston Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie is among the most crowd-pleasing works of the 20th century; at the live performance from which this recording was taken, someone even broke into applause, Tchaikovsky Pathétique style, after the swinging fifth movement, "Joie du sang des étoiles" ("Joy of the Blood of the Stars"), but was shushed and edited out. But it's not often played; it's a mighty difficult work for the orchestra, the soloists, and perhaps most of all, the conductor, who has to keep in balance huge forces of many different kinds. Plus, the work requires an ondes martenot, and players of this early electronic instrument are not in abundant supply. Opinions differ about this performance when it was given live, and truth to tell there are more purely precise readings out there. But the Boston Symphony Orchestra has the measure of this 20th century French ode to joy -- it was the orchestra that originally commissioned the work -- and the basic uncanny energy the work needs is here. Conductor Andris Nelsons has everything under control, with the right relationships among the work's various forces. Kudos to pianist Yuja Wang, who could by this point in her career insist on more purely charismatic and soloistic tasks than the rather thankless piano part of this work, which is no piano concerto but rather a work that uses the piano as a kind of basic propulsion. Ondes martenot player Cécile Lartigau is elegant as her instrument wends its mystic way through the texture. But the main praise should to go Nelsons, who gets what this work is about and gives the listener the feeling of going on a very wild ride. This album was released digitally in late 2024, but a physical album is planned for 2025; it may be worth the wait to hear the performers' thoughts on the work, if indeed any are forthcoming. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	07/18/2025
Label:	Deutsche Grammophon
UPC:	0028948670444

Tracks

1. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~1. Introduction. Modéré, un peu vif
2. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~2. Chant d'amour I. Modéré, lourd
3. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~3. Turangalîla I. Presque lent, rêveur
4. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~4. Chant d'amour II. Bien modéré
5. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~5. Joie du sang des étoiles. Vif, passionné, avec joie
6. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~6. Jardin du sommeil d'amour. Très modéré, très tendre
7. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~7. Turangalîla II. Un peu vif - Bien modéré
8. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~8. Développement de l'amour. Bien modéré
9. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~9. Turangalîla III. Bien modéré
10. Turangalîla-Symphonie pour piano, ondes Martenot et grand orchestre~10. Final. Modéré, presque vif, avec une grande joie

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Andris Nelsons   Primary Artist,Conductor
Yuja Wang   Primary Artist,Piano
Boston Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Cecile Lartigau   Primary Artist,Ondes Martenot

Technical Credits

Annette Nubbemeyer   Booklet Editor
Robert Wolff   Editing
Eva Reisinger   Booklet Editor
Verena Sierig   Liner Note Translation
Heinz H. Weissenstein   Photography
Nicholas Squire   Engineer,Recording
Tim Martyn   Editing,Mastering Engineer
Anja Hoppe   Design
Malene Hill   A&R
Winslow Townson   Cover Photo,Photography
Nicole Albring   Production Manager
John Helyar   Executive Producer
Cole Barbour   Assistant Engineer
Jan Vincent Huntenburg   Product Manager
Gian Luca Reiss   Publishing
Joe Morgan Davies   Coordinating Producer
Charles Aubert   Liner Notes
Catherine Wheel   Photography
Georges Saad   Photography
Shawn Murphy   Engineer,Producer
Rick Jacobsohn   Assistant Mastering Engineer
Olivier Messiaen   Composer