Sir Simon Rattle: Turangalîla

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the orchestra in Messiaen’s sensational Turangalîla Symphony.

The Programme

The title of the Turangalîla Symphony is derived from Sanskrit and the piece features Indian rhythms. It’s a vast and vibrant score described by Messiaen as ‘a love song; a hymn to joy’, written while he was interned in a prisoner of war camp during World War II. Messiaen incorporates music inspired by his beloved birdsong into an explosive work full of sensuality and passion. The orchestra is augmented by the piano and by an instrument rarely heard in the concert hall: the ondes Martenot, with its swooping, singing sound like something from a science fiction film.

The Performers

Rattle has won great acclaim for his interpretations of this work, so it is a fitting choice to mark the end of an era, as his time at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra draws to a close. He is joined by two long-term collaborators and Messiaen experts, Peter Donohoe at the piano and Cynthia Millar on the early electronic musical instrument the ondes Martenot.

The London Symphony Orchestra Residency is supported by Dunard Fund

Supported by Susie Thomson

Header Image © Mark Allan