Sinfonia Turangalîla
Event
“The most melodic, warmest, dynamic and colourful of all my works”. It was with these words that Messiaen described his grandiose “Turangalîla Symphony”, inspired by the legend of Tristan and Isolde. Also considered by the author as a “love song”, a central and recurring theme throughout the work, the Symphony was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. With the piano as a concertante, it is one of the most innovative creations of the 20th century in terms of rhythm and timbre, highlighting a surprising sound palette featuring multiple percussion instruments, the influence of the East and the ethereal Martenot waves, concertante partners of the piano.
