QUICK GUIDE TO…
Olivier Messiaen
Five key facts about a work being performed this month (Choice 18)
Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony
was written between 1946 and ’48 as a commission for conductor Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony. It was premiered in Boston in 1949 with Leonard Bernstein stepping in to conduct after Koussevitzky was taken ill. The first performance featured Yvonne Loriod, later Messiaen’s second wife, as the piano soloist.
The work features the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument that produces eerie wavering notes which was invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. The performer in Turangalîla was Ginette Martenot, the inventor’s sister. Messiaen was pivotal in raising the instrument’s profile, using it in other works including Fête des belles eaux (1937) and Saint François d’assise (1983).
Turangalîla is scored for a large orchestra, with solo ondes Martenot and piano and a large percussion ensemble of up to 11 players. It has ten movements and a performance is around 80 minutes. The title comes from two sanskrit words, ‘turanga’ and ‘lîla’ which evoke the themes of love and death.
In Turangalîla Messiaen uses the key of F sharp major to represent ecstatic adoration. In his exploration of love, whether it’s between two lovers or represented in the stars, he contrasts flamboyant melodies and textures with alarming rhythmic passages. While the Un peu vif, bien modéré movement is atonal and evokes terror, the Jardin du sommeil d’amour features a tender love theme in the strings. The latter also features a birdsong-inspired piano line, highlighting the composer’s fascination with nature.
Conductor Kent Nagano’s Turangalîla
recording with the Berlin Philharmonic
(Teldec 8573820432) is recommended as a BBC Radio 3 Building a Library choice.