Customer Reviews

Olivier Messiaen: Turangalīla-Symphonie

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All the correct ingredients - a great interpreter of French music, a great ensemble and one of the masterpieces of this century - but strangely lacking in the right emotions to successfully convey Messiaen's outrageous visions of joy. To give credit, YPT takes the work at a cracking pace, especially the magnificent finale, but he loses the sense of overwhelming pathos, particularly on the final blazing F# major chord which is not held for anywhere near as long as we have come to expect from rival versions(Myung-Whun Chung & Riccardo Chailly). Hence, a good recording (Chandos have sumptuous sound as always) but not the best recording.

Tortelier's interpretation of the Turangalīla-symphonie shows a strong awareness of the frantic rhythmic vitality of the work, along with a true sense of sentimentality and pure passion in the slow and quiet 6th movement "Jardin du sommeil d'amour". The only weakness is that there are moments during the rhythmic dances of the "Turangalīla" movements where a very slight lack of rhythmic precision mars the performance very slightly. Shelley's piano playing is bright and polished, if a little forward, and Hartmann-Claverie's ondes martenot is well balanced. All in all, Tortelier's performance makes for pleasureable listening, though it does not quite reach the heights of Rattle or Myung-Whun Chung's hallmark recordings of the work.

Oliver Messiaen's Turangalīla simphony is a very special experience to the listener, along 10 movments (aprox. 70 min, of music) we experiment a great range of emotions and sounds. The autor's election of the title is of sanscrit and means "the game of creation". Is a record necessary to understand the evolution of classical music of the second half of this century. Is a work for piano and ondes martenot, and both instruments are played by skillfull soloists.