Messiaen: Turangalîla-symphonie, I/29

Featuring

Alexander Soddy
Tamara Stefanovich
Thomas Bloch
Orchester des Nationaltheaters Mannheim
Olivier Messiaen

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Performer Biography

Tamara Stefanovich, the pianist on this recording, was nominated for a Grammy for her recording of Bartók's Concerto for 2 Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Composer Biography

Olivier Messiaen's family influence was primarily poetic, with his mother Cécile Sauvage publishing poetry, his brother becoming a poet and essayist, and his father being a respected Shakespeare translator.

Compositional Technique

Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony incorporates highly complex rhythms partly derived from Indian Tāla metres found in the 13th-century music textbook, Sangītaratnākara.

Recording & Production

This recording of Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony was captured live on November 11-12, 2019, in the Mozartsaal of Rosengarten Mannheim.

Performer Biography

Thomas Bloch, who plays the Ondes Martenot on this album, is a worldwide specialist in rare instruments and has collaborated with artists across classical, rock, and pop genres, including Radiohead and Daft Punk.

Instruments

The Ondes Martenot, a precursor to 20th-century electronic music, is a signature instrument in the Turangalîla Symphony, producing a unique, unearthly sound that Messiaen used to represent the voice of love.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Olivier Messiaen, born into a family of poets, explained that the title 'Turangalîla' comes from Sanskrit and encompasses meanings like love song, hymn of joy, time, movement, rhythm, life, and death.